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Use  of  Artificial  Light 

TO  Increase 

Winter  Egg  Production 


Complete  Account  of  the  Discovery  and  Development  of  This  Natural, 
Practical  and  Profit-Earning  Method  Which  Enables  Domestic  Fowl 
To  Feed  and  Function  To  Better  Advantage  In  Northern  Lati- 
tudes,   With    The    Result    That    Their   Egg   Yield    Can 
Be    Increased    Greatly    During    The    High -Price 
Months    of    Fall    and    Winter 


Compiled  by 

GRANT     M.     CURTIS 
Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal 


Contributed  to  by  George  R.  Shoup,  Poultryman,  Western  Washington 
Experiment  Station,  Puyallup;  By  Jas.  E.  Rice,  Professor  of  Poultry  Hus- 
bandry, Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.;  By  Dr.  E.  C.  Waldorf,  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.  (First  to  Practice  This  Method);  By  Prof.  Luther  Banta,  Poultry 
Instructor,  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College;  By  R.  S.  Moseley,  of  Sunny 
Crest  Farm,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y.;  and  By  Other  Weil-Known  Authorities, 
Including  Numerous   Practical  Poultrymen  and  Commercial  Egg  Farmers. 


"The  Principles  Involved  in  our  use  of  Artificial  Illumination  cff^not  MysHrious.  On  the  Contrary, 
they  are  quite  self-evident  and  easy  to  miderstand.  *  *  *  *  Now  we  come  to  this  -lecent  use  of  Artificial 
Light  to  lengthen  the  work-day  of  the  Hen,  or  to  equalize  her  time  of  work  and  time  of  rest  in  each 
twenty-four  hours,  and  the  results  are  astonishing— are  truly  revolutionary.  They  promise  great  things 
for  the  Poultry  Industry  on  Commercial  Lines.  Not  only  are  Commercial  Plants  to  be  greatly  helped, 
but  the  benefits  of  this  use  of  Artificial  Illumination  apply  proportionately  to  farm  flocks  kept  for  egg 
production  and  can  be  utilized  by  the  small  Back- Yard  Platit  where  a  main  object  is  to  secure  a 
liberal  yield  for  the  family  table  in  the  season  of  high  prices."-  Jas.  E.  Rice,  Professor  of  Poultry 
Husbandry ,    College  of  Agriculture ,   Cornell  University ,  Ithaca,  N.    Y. 


Fully  Illustrated,  Including  Ten  Color  Charts  from  Cornell 
University,   the   work   of  Dr.   and  Mrs.    O.    B.   Kent 


PRICE     $1.50 

PUBLISHED     BY 

RELIABLE  POULTRY  JOURNAL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

OUINCY,  ILLINOIS,  U.  S.  A. 


l^-j-'l  T  appears  that  to  America,  meaning  in  this  case 
l_J_^  to  the  United  States,  belongs  the  credit  of  hav- 
^^sg  ing  discovered  the  practical  use  of  artificial  light 
^^^21  to  lengthen  the  workday  of  the  domestic  hen,  thus 
to  enable  her  to  eat  and  digest  more  food  during  the 
shoit  sunlight  days  of  the  year,  to  convert  daily  a  greater 
a^.-ount  of  food  into  eggs  and  thereby  largely  increase  her 
yield  of  this  staple  product  during  the  period  of  usual 
scarcity  when  eggs  for  human  consumption  invariably  are 
high  priced.  To  the  best  of  our  knowledge  the  honor  for 
this  "sensational  and  revolutionary  discovery" — to  use  the 
words  of  Pro/  Jas.  E.  Rice,  Cornell  University — belongs 
to  Dr.  E.  C.  Waldorf,  student  of  the  natural  sciences  and 
a  practicing  physician  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  who  conducted 
experiments  on  this  fine,  with  several  objects  in  view,  as 
far  back  as  1889-1893  at  Bufifalo— see  article  by  Dr.  Wal- 
dorf, beginning  on  page  19  and  later  report  beginning 
on  page  64. 

In  compiling  this  book  and  handling  to  advantage  the 
subject  of  which  it  treats,  we  were  at  a  loss  to  know  just 


EXHiriTION    \^HITE    LEi   II     I  \ 

The  male  and  female  White  Legl 

;    typical    of    the    appeal  ance    of    th 

'   '     "  2ntur>    ago 


THE    70  s 
5  shown  above 
fowls    as    they 
These  buds  show  chai - 


bred  half 
acteristic  alertness  and  sprightliness,   but  m  shape  and 
comb  they  are  far  from  Leghorns  as  now  bred. 


how  to  proceed,  but  finally  decided  to  present  in  its  pages 
the  whole  matter  in  the  order  in  which  it  has  developed 
and  been  published  in  the  columns  of  the  Reliable  Poul- 
try Journal — doing  this  because  it  has  been  an  orderly 
and  connected  development  that  embraces  the  facts,  meth- 
ods and  advice  which  our  readers  will  wish  to  know,  and 
this  plan  has  the  merit  of  being  extra  interesting,  as  much 
so  almost  as  a  story  would  be  of  travel  into  some  strange 
new  country  or  upon  unchartered  seas.  If  the  reader  is 
as  deeply  interested  in  what  he  finds  in  this  book  as  we 
have  been  in  collecting  and  editing  the  wealth  of  ma- 
terial, we  shall  feel  well  repaid. 

To  W.  H.  Reynolds,  Braintree,  Mass.,  goes  the  honor 
of  having  furnished  the  Reliable  Poultry  Journal  the  first 
aiticle  it  ever  published  on  the  subject  of  the  use  of 
artificial  light.     This  article  is  reproduced  complete  here- 


with, including  illustrations,  beginning  on  page  17.  Said 
aiticle  was  first  published  in  the  April,  1911,  issue  of 
R.  P.  J.  By  reference  to  Mr.  Reynolds'  article  it  will  be 
learned  that  he  began  these  experiments  in  the  season  of 
1910-11,  using  a  40- Watt  Tungsten  electric  lamp  and  that 
they  were  remarkably  successful — a  fair  index  of  what 
was  to  follow. 

But  as  before  stated,  it  appears  that  the  historical  credit 
for  first  discovering  and  using  this  method  with  signal 
success  belongs  to  Dr.  Waldorf.  His  first  article  on  the 
subject  was  published  in  the  February,  1915,  issue  of 
R.  P.  J.,  from  which  article  these  statements  are.  quoted: 

"I  began  my  first  attempt  in  forced  egg  production  in 
December,  1889.  These  experiments  were  made  on  the 
premises  of  Patrick  Kinney,  56  York  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
*  *  *  *  The  proper  length  of  daylight  was  provided 
by  the  installation  of  four  100-candle-power,  Argand  brass 
burners  suspended  from  the  first  ceiling,  one  foot  from 
the  outside  edge  and  five  feet  from  the  ground.  Each 
burner  was  provided  with  a  large  reflector,  throwing  the 
light  directly  downward.  These  lights  were  controlled 
by  an  automatic  time  adjuster  and  were  turned  on  at  3:30 
a.  m.  and  ofif  again  at  7:30.  They  were  turned  on  again 
at  5  p.  m.  and  off  at  8  p.  m.  for  the  night.  The  results 
of  these  tests  were  published  in  the  Clyde  Times,  Clyde, 
N.  Y.,  in  February,  1899,  the  complete  daily  record  hav- 
ing since  been  mislaid  or  lost." 

The  following  paragraphs  are  quoted  from  a  later 
statement  by  Dr.  Waldorf,  as  of  date  October  27,  1919, 
after  he  had  refreshed  his  memory  relating  to  experi- 
ments made  by  him  twenty-five  to  thirty  years  previous 
and  had  looked  up  the  records,  talked  with  old  neigh- 
bors,  etc.: 

"Before  my  experiments  of  forced  egg  production  by 
the  use  of  artificial  lighting  were  concluded  in  1893-1894, 
many  well-known  and  prominent  Buffalonians  became  en- 
thusiastic about  the  matter.  I  will  mention  the  names  of 
the  following  who  personally  watched  the  system  at  that 
time: 

"Prank  T.  Reynolds.  Superintendent  of  Board  of  Public 
Works.  Buffalo,  then  living  at  52  York  St. 

"Daniel  Mahoney.  New  York  State  flour  salesman  for 
Gold  Medal  Flour.    Residence  62  York  St.,  Buffalo. 

"Geors-e  Chambers,  Superintendent  Maintenance  Depart- 
ment, Buffalo  Water  Works. 

"Edward  Howard,  senior  member  of  Howard  Bros. 
■Chemical  Co.,  Buffalo.  N.  Y. 

"M.  B.  Daly.  President,  East  Ohio  Natural  Gas  Com- 
pany, Cleveland  Ohio,  then  Superintendent  of  Buffalo  Nat- 
ural Gas  Fuel  Company,  who  gave  permission  for  gas  ser-" 
vice   to   the   poultry   coop. 

"John  Walsh,  Superintendent  of  Service  Department  of 
Buffalo  in  1892  and  still  in  same  capacity,  who  approved  the 
application  for  gas  supply  to  ray  hen  coop  in  1893. 

"A  W.  Gavin,  foreman  of  service  for  Buffalo  Natural 
Gas  Company  in  1892  and  still  in  same  capacity,  who  piped 
the  gas  to  my  hennery.  56  York  St.,  for  heat  and  illumina- 
tion,   early    in    1893. 

"My  experiments  were  begun  in  1SS9  and  conducted 
rather  free  from  the  public  eye  for  four  years,  but  by  1893 
my  work  in  this  line  was  no  longer  a  secret,  as  every  one 
of  the  gentlemen  named,  from  personal  observation  and 
knowledge,  now  testify.  The  practical  application  of  the 
system  with  full  equipment  may  be  stated  as  having  been 
publicly   under   operation   in   1893. 

"While  the  system  at  that  time  proved  a  success  com- 
mercially, the  greatest  benefit,  as  I  felt,  was  the  relief 
from    unhatchable    eggs    by    eliminating    their    slow    forma- 


HISTORICAL 


tion,  which  unquestionably  is  detrimental  to  normal  germ 
life  within  the  egg  before  laying-  and  during  incubation. 
This  much  accomplished,  all  that  remained  to  be  done  in 
order  to  select  the  hatchable  egg  was  to  learn  the  required 
density,  as  shown  by  specific  gravity  test." 

Discovery  of  Lighting  System  in  the   Northwest 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  R.  Shoup,  poultry  specialists, 
Western  Washington  Experiment  Station,  Puyallup, 
Wash.,  probably  did  more  from  1912  to  1917  than  anyone 
else  in  the  United  States — which  means  the  world  in  this 
case — to  develop  and  promote  the  use  of  artificial  light  for 
increasing  egg  production,  carrying  on  this  work  with 
success  in  the  Northwest,  whence  it  extended  southward 
into  California,  notably  around  Los  Angeles.  However, 
it  was  not  until  the  season  of  1911-1912  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shoup  made  their  first  trial  of  the  use  of  artificial  light- 
ing— see  article  beginning  on  page  31,  also  latest  state- 
ment from  them,  page  95  of  this  book.  In  Prof.  Shoup's 
latest  statement  he  says: 

''The  first  trial  of  our  artificial  lighting  of  poultry  was 
on  a  rather  limited  scale.  During  the  summer  of  1911  we 
had  managed  to  raise  some  three  hundred  pullets  in  fire- 
less  brooders.  *  *  *  *  Our  rule  in  those  days,  when 
the  land  had  to  be  cleared,  shingle  bolts  cut,  and  firewood 
made,  was  to  do  no  work  in  the  daylight  which  could  be 
done  just  as  well  by  lantern  light.  Cleaning  the  drop- 
pings boards  was  a  job  that  fell  among  the  lantern-lit 
class  in  the  morning.  This  pre-daylight  performance  had 
the  additional  advantage  of  keeping  the  eggs  much 
cleaner,  as  the  birds  would  fly  from  the  roosts  clear  to 
the  floor  without  wanting  to  jump  on  the  droppings 
boards  and  soil  their  feet. 

"We  had  noticed  for  several  days  that  quite  a  bunch 
of  pullets  would  follow  up  the  lantern  and  endeavor  to 
find  grain  in  the  litter,  and  had  on  several  occasions 
placed  the  light  on  the  floor  for  a  few  moments  just  to 
humor  the  biddies,  which  of  course  were  very  tame  be- 
cause of  frequent  handling  in  the  trap  nests.  Time  was 
precious,  however,  and  the  one  lantern  was  needed  to  clean 
more  coops  before  breakfast  and  to  get  the  oats  out  of 
the  sprouter  and  distribute  them  through  the  coops  so 
that  the  birds  could  eat  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough. 

"So,  when  in  the  course  of  a  Sunday  visit,  our  old 
English  neighbor  suggested,  in  a  vein  of  humor,  that  we 
'give  the  bloomin'  'ens  lantern  light  to  h'eat  breakfast  and 
supper  by',  it  gave  us  the  necessary  hint.  We  hung  the 
lanterns  (the  brightest  barn  lanterns  we  could  buy)  in 
various  places,  both  high  and  low,  to  the  rear  and  to  the 
front  of  the  coop,  shifting  them  three  at  a  time  to  try  out 
the  different  positions,  and  finally  nailed  up  tin  reflectors 
on  the  front  foot-wide  upright  coop  supports  about  two 
inches  from  the  floor  and  hung  one  lantern  in  a  place. 

"We  found  it  necessary  to  have  the  lanterns  trimmed 
and  lighted  as  early  as  three-thirty  in  the  afternoons,  our 
days  were  so  dark.  As  a  precaution  against  fire,  the 
lanterns  when  lighted  were  left  on  the  workbench  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes,  to  make  sure  the  flame  did  not  rise, 
blacken  the  chimneys  and  possibly  come  out  of  the  top 
to  the  danger  of  adjacent  woodwork. 

"The  birds  were  so  evidently  pleased  with  the  new 
arrangement  that  we  could  hear  them  singing  long  after 
dark,  and  in  ten  days'  time  from  the  purchase  of  the  lan- 
terns we  had  the  pleasure  of  informing  our  poultry-news 
dispenser  that  our  production  was  up  to  200  eggs  per  day, 
and  the  country  was  saved." 

Prof.    Luther     Banta,     Department     of    Poultry   Hus- 
bandry,    Massachusetts     Agricultural     College,    Amherst, 
contributed  an   iinportant  series   of  articles   to   the  pages 
^W>f,  R.  P.  J.  on  this  subject  (beginning  on  page  33  of  this 
CNjook)    from  which   we   quote   as   follows,   relative   to   the 
^-discovery  and  early  use  of  artificial  light  to  increase  egg 

product'on: 

f"^       "Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice,  of  Cornell,  while  doing  Farmers' 

Institute  work  in  northern  New  York  state  about  twenty 

^^ears  ago   (which  carries  the  matter  back  to   1898 — Ed.) 

^ian  across  a  poultryman  who   had  used  electric  light  to 

_  increase  the  length  of  his  hens'  feeding  days  in  winter  and 

as  a  consequence  had  observed  a  marked  increase  in  their 

egg  production.     To  the  best  of  my  knowledge  it  is  not 


known  when  or  how  he  obtained  the  idea  or  suggestion 
which  led  him  to  try  the  experiment.  Probably  it  was 
original  with  him.  The  fact  that  he  was  the  owner  of  the 
local  electric  light  plant,  doubtless  explains  the  reason 
why  he  ventured  to  spend  money  on  what  must,  at  that 
time,  have  been  considered  a  foolhardy  scheme. 

"A  poultryman  connected  with  one  of  the  large  leg- 
horn farms  in  New  Jersey  wrote  me  last  winter  that  over 
twenty  years  ago  he  successfully  used  lights  to  increase 
egg  production,    so   we   must   conclude    that  it   is   not 


bran 


all. 


"Since  these  first  tests  many  other  poultrymen  in  wide- 
ly separated  parts  of  the  country  have  carried  on  the  good 
work  in  endeavoring  to  ascertain  the  real  truth  about  this 
interesting  problem.  Another  poultryman  in  northern  New 
York  used  lights  about  fifteen  years  ago.  In  December  of 
last  year  a  poultryman  in  western  New  York  state  told 
me  that  he  used  lights  in  his  laying  house  twelve  years 
before  when  he  was  a  resident  in  one  of  the  suburbs  of 
Liverpool,  England.  He  had  run  a  grocery  business  In  the 
city,  and  being  employed  in  the  store  in  the  early  evening. 


REPRESENTATIVE  BROWN  LEGHORNS  OF  FIFTY 
TEARS  AGO 
These  birds,  in  their  comparatively  level  carriage, 
more  nearly  resemble  Leghorns  as  now  bred,  than  do 
the  Whites  shown  on  opposite  page,  but  they  scarcely 
suggest  the  beauty  of  modern  Leghorns. 


lid  not  arrive  iiome  until  ten  ( 
went  immediately  to  his  poult 
n  their  perches  by  mean        "  " 


L-leven  o'clock  at  ni.ght. 

house,   called   the  birds 

of  lantern  light,  and  gave  them 


An  additional  report  of  the  early  use  of  artificial 
light  for  this  purpose  comes  from  Jas.  G.  Halpin,  Pro- 
fessor of  Poultry  Husbandly  at  the  Wisconsin  College  of 
Agriculture,  Madison.  Writing  us  under  date  March  17, 
1919,  Prof.  Halpin  said:     ■ 

"I  believe  I  am  the  first  experiment  station  worker  to 
be  guilty  of  trying  this  out  on  the  hens.  Back  in  1906, 
over  in  Michigan,  we  started  this  and  had  splendid  suc- 
cess with  the  artificial  light,  as  compared  with  those  birds 
with  no  light  *  *  *  My  records  and  observations  at 
that  time  were  received  with  a  great  deal  of  amusement 
by  my  co-workers  who  seemed  to  agree  with  the  daily  press 
at  that  time  that  it  was  a  joke  •  •  *  At  the  time,  I 
supposed  that  I  had  run  onto  a  brand  new  idea.  A  little 
later,  however,  I  found  that  my  idea  was  about  as  old  as 
the    hills — apparently    another   proof    of   the    fact    that    there 


igan   and  ther 


mder  the 
ound   a  man  who   had  bee 
house    for    years. 


3rthern  Mich- 
using  illumina- 
:e  discovered  it 
5  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  fed  the  horses  and  cared  for  them.  He  noticed 
that  the  hens  in  the  first  pen  laid  more  eggs  than  the  hens 
in  the  other  pens;  that  as  soon  as  the  lights  were  on,  the 
hens  in  the  first  pen  would  get  down  and  go  to  digging  in 
the  straw  for  something  to  eat  •  *  *  The  name  of  this 
man  has  escaped  me,  but  I  remember  that  he  had  been  prac- 
ticing that  plan  for  several  years  when  I  talked  with  him 
in  the  spring  of  1907   or  1908." 

This  carries  the  historical  question  as  far  as  we  are 
able  to  at  this  writing.  According  to  our  best  knowledge 
to  date,  therefore,  the  honor  for  first  using  this  method 
belongs  to  Dr.  Waldorf,  of  Buffalo,  whose  experiments 
started  sometime  in  1889  and  were  concluded  in  1893.  We 
have  tried  faithfully,  with  the  help  of  Dr.  Waldorf,  to  se- 
cure a  copy  of  the  Clyde  Times,  which  contained  the 
report  of  his  early  success,  giving  the  egg  yield,  etc.,  but 
as  might  reasonably  be  expected,  a  file  of  that  weekly 
paper,  reaching  back  thirty  years  or  more,  does  not  now 
exist  in  the  offices  of  publication,  nor  were  we  able  to 
locate,  in  private  hands,  one  or  more  copies  of  this 
weekly,  as  published  back  in  1889,  or  1890. 


ILLUMINATION     ON     HENS 

NO    ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT 
CORNELL    UNIVERSITY    ITHACA    NEW  YORK 


Plate  I 

Shows  "check  p  e  n"  of 
hens,  using  no  artificial 
light,  the  dotted  line  giving 
the  per  cent  production  from 
vovemher  28  to  the  follow- 
ing October  31st  in  four- 
week  periods.  Production 
starts  with  1.7,  mounts  to 
58.8,  then  falls  to  4.0.  Dates 
are-  shown  along  bottom, 
time  of  day  on  left  side  and 
percentages  at  right.  Note 
that  "flush  season"  of  pro- 
duction for  these  not-lighted 
hens  was  from  March  21  to 
about  mid-June,  with  a  rea- 
sonably good  yield  to  the 
end  of  July.  During  Sep- 
tem.ber  and  October  the  per 
cent  of  production  was  again 
disappointingly   low. 


ILLUMINATION     ON     PULLETS 

NO   ARTIFICIAL    LIGHT 

AT    CORNELL     UNIVERSITY     ITHACA  NEW  YORK 


Plate  II 

Shows  egg  yield  of  "check 
pen"  of  not-lighted  pullets, 
kept  under  same  conditions 
as  "check  pen"  of  hens  rep- 
resented by  Plate  L  Produc- 
tion here,  on  November  28, 
starts  with  percentage  of 
22.4,  reaches  63.0  by  March 
21,  holds  up  well  to  middle 
of  May,  then  steps  down 
pretty  steadily  until  it  reach- 
es 9.2  about  September  1, 
giving  only  a  small  yield 
during  that  month  and  Octo- 
ber when  market  prices  are 
on  the  rapid  increase.  As  a 
rule,  well-matured  pullets 
should  lay  10  to  20  per  cent 
more  eggs  than  hens,  across 
the  year. 


isn.N. 

I  I  P.M. 
10 


3    ■ 

a  ■ 
I   ■■ 

l£N 

im.M. 

10 
9 
8 
7 
6 
5 
4- 
3 
2 


28    12    2t>   10    24  7 


ILLUMINATION      ON    HENS 

7 A.M.- 7  P.M. 
PEN    El    AT    CORNELL     UNIVERSITY     ITHACA  NEW  YORl\ 


Plate  III 

White,  in  all  these  charts, 
shows  natural  daylight; 
black  shows  night,  and  the 
area  in  red  the  amount  of 
artificial  light  supplied  to 
lengthen  the  so-called  work- 
day of  the  birds.  In  the 
case  of  this  pen  of  hens  the 
lights  (electric)  were  turned 
(in  at  7  a.  m.  from  Novem- 
ber 28  till  about  February  1, 
and  again  at  4  p.  m.  during 
the  season  when  needed  and 
were  kept  on  till  7  p.  m., 
thus  to  give  the  birds  not 
less  than  a  12-hour  work- 
day at  all  periods  during 
the  forty-eight  weeks.  Morn- 
ing lighting  for  this  schedule 
was  required  only  during 
November,  December  and 
January,  after  which  dawn 
arrived   earlier. 


a  II  5  b- 


Plate  IV 

Shows  same  "light"'  treat- 
ment for  pullets  that  Plate 
III  does  for  hens.  In  these 
two  plates  and  the  next  four 
following  (pages  10  and  11) 
the  "check  pen"  egg  yield  of 
hens  and  pullets  respective- 
ly is  shown  by  the  dotted  line 
superimposed  on  or  over  the 
■'lighted  pen"  production  — 
see  actual  percentages  of 
r.ot-lighted  or  "check  pens" 
in  figures  along  lower  edge 
of  green  area.  Where 
"lighted"  yield  was  greater, 
the  dotted  line  is  on  the 
green  area;  where  less  it 
extends  above  the  green. 
Green,  in  each  case,  repre- 
sents actual  egg  yield  of  pen. 


ILLUMINATION     ON     PULLETS 

TA.M.  — 7P.M. 

PEN  ££    AT    CORNELL     UNIVERSITY     ITHACA   NEW  YORK 


NV   lEC  ft  JSl  M  ftl 

ffl  i£  zt  »  z-t  I   a   ? 


1^— |-|FTER  the  average  person  gets  used  to  the  idea  of 
\y  I  the  use  of  artificial  light  to  increase  egg  produc- 
BR^I  tion,  the  first  or  main  prejudice  commonly  met 
l6L^i  with  is  that  it  is  a  forcing  process;  that  it  means 
overworking  the  hens  and  therefore  must  result, 
sooner  or  later,  in  an  injury  to  them,  or  in  their  physical 
breakdown.  The  welcome  fact  is  that  this  fear  is  ground- 
less, or  practically  so.  Like  almost  anything  else  this 
plan  can  be  overdone,  but  very  seldom  has  been,  so  far 
as  our  investigations  have  gone  and  it  is  indeed  surpris- 
ing with  what  uniform  success  it  has  been  used  to  date  by 
all  classes  of  poultry  keepers,  from  the  small  plant  back- 
lotter  to  the  big  commercial  egg  farms  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  and  in  half  a  dozen  or  more  eastern  states,  all  of 
which  information  will  be  found  set  forth  in  reliable  form 
in  the  following  pages. 

This  use  of  artificial  light  to  lengthen  the  workday  of 
the  hen  during  the  fall  and  winter  months  in  northern 
latitudes  of  the  United  States,  Canada,  etc.,  is  really  a 
feeding  problem,  so  to  speak,  not  a  case  of  "forcing"  the 
birds.  Success,  or  good  results,  do  not  in  this  matter 
depend  in  any  degree  on  condiments  or  on  specially  in- 
vigorating foods.     The  astonishing  increases  in  egg  yield 


SECTIONS  OF  A   LEGHORN    MALE 


„  shows  the  outline  of 
modern  exhibition  Leghorn  male.  Compar 
males  illustrated  on  pages  4  and  5  to  no 
made    in    breeding.      The    different    sections 


typical 
'ith  the 
irogress 
e  num- 
n  learn 


ey( 


ed  so  that  those  unfamiliar  with  fowls 
ir  proper  names,  which  are  as  follows:  1 — beak; 
nostril;  3 — comb;  4 — crown  of  head;  5 — face;  6 — 
ear;  8  —  ear  lobe;  9  —  wattle;  10  —  hackle 
breast;    13 — cape; 


I  neck);     11 — front     of     hackle 

14 — shoulder;  15 — wing  bow;  16 — wing  front;  17 — wing- 
coverts,  wing  bar;  18 — secondaries,  wing  bay;  19 — 
primaries,  flights;  20 — primary  coverts;  21 — back;  22 — 
saddle;  23— saddle  feathers;  24 — sickles;  25— smaller 
sickles;   26— tail  coverts;   27— main  tail   feathers;   28— 


aie  not  even  the  result,  primarily,  of  well-balanced  foods, 
but  are  the  natural  and  logical  outcome  of  the  longer 
workday  in  fall  and  winter,  the  longer  period  in  each 
twenty-four  hours  of  the  calendar  day  for  the  hen  to  eat, 
exercise,  digest,  function,  and  convert  surplus  food  into 
eggs.  That  truly  is  the  foundation  of  the  matter,  the 
"why"  of  the  welcome  increase.  Of  course  the  other  con- 
tributing conditions  should  exist,  in  order  to  get  good, 
better,  or  best  results,  such  as  proper  housing  quarters, 
right  care,  correct,  feeding,  the  use  of  wholesome,  well- 
balanced,  egg-forming  rations,  etc.,  but  even  with  all  these 
factors  present,  if  the  "day"  is  too  short — is  cut  down  to 
seven  or  'eight  hours  out  of  each  twenty-four,  the  organ- 
ism of  the  hen  simply  cannot  do,  in  this  short  period, 
what  it  is  prepared  to  accomplish  with  ease  in  twelve  to 
fourteen  hours,  if  given  a  fair  chance. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  persons  with  whom  this 
idea  or  method  is  new,  the  healthy  pullet  or  hen  that  is 
in  right  condition  physically,  actually  wants  to  lay  at  this 
time  of  the  year — during  the  fall  and  winter  months.  It 
is  the  one  thing  that  such  a  pullet  or  hen  most  desires  to 
do.  The  spring-hatched  pullet  by  this  time  has  reached 
the  period  for  reproduction  and  the  hen  that  has  come 
through  the  molt  is  possessed  with  the  same  idea.  Neither 
of  them  has  any  "thought"  whatever  of  the  market  price 
of  eggs  for  human  consumption,  or  of  filling  the  egg 
basket.  What  they  specially  wish  to  do  is  to  respond 
to   Nature's   insistent  demand  for  reproduction. 

But  mankind  literally  keeps  these  birds  in  captivity — 
has  taken  them  into  northern  latitudes  where  the  fall  and 
winter  days  are  so  short  that  these  comparatively  small 
creatures  usually  go  unfed — unreplenished — fifteen,  six- 
teen, and  in  some  cases  as  much  as  seventeen  hours  out 
of  each  twenty-four,  while  meantime  they  are  in  freezing 
latitudes  and  must  fight  against  cold,  for  their  very  ex- 
istence. As  a  rule,  their  one  source  of  bodily  heat,  abso- 
lutely needed  to  sustain  life,  is  from  the  chemical  action 
of  digesting  and  assimilating  food;  hence  in  the  short 
days  of  fall  and  winter  they  do  not  have  a  surplus  of 
food  to  convert  into  eggs  for  reproduction  purposes,  or 
any   other   use. 

Now  that  we  have  made  this  discovery,  the  reasons, 
the  causes  are  all  plain  enough.  What  a  pity  it  is  that 
we  could  not  have  anticipated  these  facts  long  ago,  rea- 
soning from  cause  to  efifect,  or  from  eflfect  back  to  cause 
and  thus  have  secured  this  welcome  increase  in  egg  pro- 
duction each  year  during  the  annual  period  of  scarcity! 
Following  are  some  of  the  noteworthy  things  that  have 
been  said  and  written  quite  recently  on  this  phase  of  the 
subject — to  t'  ffect  that  the  increase  which  is  sure  to 
result  from  h  .hy,  well-kept,  well-fed  hens  by  lengthen- 
ing the  workday  of  fall  and  winter  is  a  natural  process, 
is  a  feeding  problem,  not  a  matter  of  forcing  or  of  over- 
working the  layers. 

Prof.  Luther 'Banta   (see  pages  34,  35  herewith): 

"Evidently  there  is  a  very  close  relationship  between 
the  number  of  hours  of  daylight  during  the  various  sea- 
sons of  the  year  and  egg  production.  Cornell  University 
has  charted  the  egg  production  of  both  countries  (Austra- 
lia and  the  United  States)  and  finds  that  approximately 
the  lowest  production  obtains  during  the  shortest  days 
and  the  heaviest  production  at  or  just  previous  to  the 
longest  days.  This  variation  in  length  of  day  exceeds 
40%."    Continuing,   Prof.    Banta   states — page   35: 

"Also  many  of  the  winter  days  afiford  only  about 
seven  hours  that  are  suflficiently  light  for  the  birds  to  see 
to  scratch  and  eat  freely.  This  means  a  minimum  day 
over  54%  shorter  than  the  longest  day  in  June,  yet,  in 
addition,   this   occurs  at  that  time   of  the   year  when  the 


NATURAL 


atmospheric  temperatures  range  the  lowest  and  conse- 
quently when  the  greatest  demands  are  being  made  upon 
the  reserve  food  nutrient  supply  of  the  bird  in  order  that 
she  may  merely  maintain  her  normal  body  temperature, 
which  IS  very  high,  comparatively  speaking,  in  a  fowl, 
averaging  106  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

"Professor  Halpin,  who  used  lights  in  1907  while  in 
charge  of  the  Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry  at  the 
Michigan  Agricultural  College,  examined  the  crops  of 
fowl  on  the  perches  at  midnight  in  midwinter  and  found 
them  in  all  cases  nearly  or  quite  empty.  Evidently  a  bird 
cannot  possibly  cram  enough  food  into  her  crop  at  four- 
thirty  or  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  to  carry  her  through 
to  the  next  morning's  meal.  In  other  words,  she  is  only 
working  on  a  part-time  basis,  as  her  mill  (gizzard)  is 
prepared  to  grind  food  continuously,  but  its  output  is 
necessarily  limited  by  the  capacity  of  the  hopper  (crop) 
supplying  it. 

"Therefore,  'lights'  were  tried  to  supplement  the  nat- 
ural daylight  hours  sufficiently  so  that  the  hen  might  eat 
her  evening  meal  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  likewise  electricity  was  used  to  provide  an  early 
breakfast  at  about  6  a.  m.  By  this  method  Prof.  Halpin 
found  the  bird's  digestive  system  was  kept  working 
through  a  greater  portion  of  the  day,  that  she  according- 
ly consumed  more  food,  and,  as  a  consequence,  had  a 
larger  supply  of  food  nutrients  available,  was  able  to 
keep  her  body  more  adequately  nourished  and  had  a 
larger  net  balance  of  the  necessary  ingredients  to  man- 
ufacture eg;gs  more  freely.  FOR  GENERATIONS  HENS 
HAVE  WANTED  TO  LAY  IN  THE  WINTER,  BUT 
COULD    NOT. 

"Pjofessor  J.  C.  Graham,  of  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College  at  Amherst,  has  observed  that  birds  dis- 
tend their  crops  with  food  to  a  greater  degree  in  the  fall 
and  winter  afternoons  than  during  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer. Without  a  question  this  is  a  manifestation  of  the 
bird's  endeavor  to  counteract  the  effects  of  the  short  win- 
ter day  to  the  very  limit  of  her  ability,  or  capacity,  in 
this  relationship. 

"The  logic  of  the  whole  idea  is  so  simple  and  based 
upon  the  most  elemental  laws  of  physiology  and  nutrition 
to  such  an  extent,  that  it  is  astonishing  that  it  has  not 
become  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  and  practice  be- 
fore, though  it  has  been  known  and  used  by  a  few  scat- 
tered poultrymen  for  many  years." 

Prof.  Jas.   E.   Rice: 

In  an  address  at  Chicago,  July,  1918,  Prof.  Rice  made 
the  following  statements  with  reference  to  the  fact  that 
it  is  natural  for  a  hen  to  reproduce  eggs  under  right  con- 
ditions if  given  the  chance: 

"In  this  country,  fowls  come  into  laying-  from  south  to 
north,  much  as  strawberries  come  Into  bearing-.  In  Aus- 
tralia and  New  Zealand  on  the  other  side  of  the  equator, 
the  reverse  is  true.  Our  hens,  when  cold  weather  comes 
upon  them,  instead  of  g-oing-  into  a  dormant  condition,  will 
respond  at  once  in  the  way  of  egg-  yield,  to  favorable  envir- 
onment. If  we  can  duplicate  or  maintain  suitable  condi- 
tions as  to  bodily  health,  length  of  day,  etc.,  they  will  go 
on  producing.  In  our  country  this  statement  refers  to  pro- 
duction during  November,  December,  January  and  February, 
in  the  case  of  fowls  that  are  old  enough  and  that  also  are  in 
proper  condition,  as  to  health  and  surroundings." 

A  year  later,  in  one  of  two  lengthy  addresses  (first 
of  the  two)  delivered  by  Prof.  Rice  at  the  Judging  and 
Breeding  School,.  Cornell  University,  Ithaca.  N.  Y.,  July 
7-12,  the  speaker  said,  in  introducing  his  subject: 

"Heretofore  we  have  depended  on  the  time  of  hatching, 
method  of  feeding,  style  of  houses,  etc.,  to  increase  egg 
production  in  the  fall  and  winter  or  during  the  period  of 
natural  scarcity  in  this  northern  latitude,  hence  the  period 
of  high  prices:  but  in  these  efforts  we  have  met  with  only 
moderate  results.  For  many  years  I  have  felt  that  if  we 
could  give  our  fowls  what  may  bfe  called  hothouse  condi- 
tions, as  used  for  example  by  the  florist,  we  could  get  eggs 
any  time  we  want  them — any  time  of  the  year.  Lately,  two 
great  contributions  have  been  made  to  the  method  of  secur- 
ing more  profitable  egg  production.  One  is  the  successful 
culling  out  of  nonlayers  and  poor  layers  from  our  flocks 
by  the  use  of  external  characters  and  physical  exa-mina- 
tion;  the  other  is  by  the  use  of  artificial  illumination  to 
increase  the  length  of  day  during  which  the  would-be  lay- 
ers, the   ready-to-lay  birds,  can  function  and   produce. 

"The  principles  involved  in  our  use  of  artificial  illum- 
ination are  not  mysterious.  On  the  contrary,  they  are 
quite  self-evident  and  easy  to  understand.  For  example, 
it  is  easy  to  realize  that  the  domestic  hen,  when  kept  in 
this  locality,  meaning  central  or  northern  New  York,  is 
out  of  her  natural  habitat  and  she  is  held  here  in  what 
amounts  to  captivity.  This  fact  hardly  needs  discussion. 
We  know  that  the  original  domestic  fowl  was  a  native 
of  the   tropical   zone   and  climate.     For   centuries,   for  ages. 


she  was  accustomed  to  practically  a  twelve-hour  day  and 
a  twelve-hour  night,  on  the  average.  These  birds,  having 
been  developed  under  those  conditions,  possessed  organs 
that  were  based  on  at  least  twelve  hours  of  daylight  mean- 
ing in  particular  their  digestive  organs.  Man  picked  up 
these  fowls  and  carried  them  north  to  points  like  Ithaca, 
N.  Y.,  where  during  five  or  six  months  of  the  year  they 
have,    on    the    average,    a   nine-hour    day    and    a   fifteen-hour 

"'^  "When  brought  north  these  fowls  were  limited  in  choice 
as  to  what  to  do.  About  the  only  chance  they  had  was  to 
go  on  functioning  the  best  they  could  and,  as  tinie  passed, 
to  adjust  themselves  slowly  to  the  changed  conditions  of 
climate,  length  of  day,  etc.  Such  adaptations  mean  slow- 
progress.  Springtime  breeding  was  continued,  -with  little 
or  no  attention  to  winter  egg  production.  These  birds  from 
the  South  simply  adopted  new  habits,  but  did  not  change 
their  physical  form.  When  winter  arrived,  with  the  long 
cold  night;,  they  tucked  their  heads  under  their  wmgs  and 
ceased  to  lay  till  spring  came  with  its  longer  days  and 
warmer  weather.  They  just  hibernated  or  practically  so, 
and  waited  for  more  favorable  conditions. 

"First — and   until   recently — man  relied  mainly  on  feed- 
ing  and   special   breeding   to    get   these   hens   to    lay   m   the 


THE  SECTIONS  OF  A  LEGHORN  FEMALE 
The  beauty  of  the  typical  modern  Leghorn  hen 
is  enhanced  by  comparison  with  the  early  type 
Leghorns  shown  on  pages  4  and  5.  The  sections 
of  the  Leghorn  female  are  as  follows:  1 — beak; 
2 — nostril:  3 — comb;  4 — crown  of  head;  5 — face; 
6 — eve:  7 — ear;  8 — ear  lobe;  9 — wattle;  10 — neck 
.eathers:  11 — front  of  neck;  12 — breast;  13 — cape; 
14— shoulder;  15— wing  bow;  16— wing  front;  17 — 
wing  coverts,  wing  bar;  18 — secondaries,  wing 
bay;  19 — primaries,  flights;  20 — primary  coverts; 
21 — back:  22 — sweep  of  back;  23 — cushion;  24 — top 
covert;  25 — larger  tail  coverts;  26 — smaller  tail 
coverts:  27 — main  tail  feathers;  28 — body  feathers; 
29 — fluff;  30 — thigh;  31 — hock;  32 — shank;  33 — 
spur;   34 — ball   of  foot;    .35 — toe;    36 — toenail. 

fall  and  winter.  Good  housing  and  proper  feeding  will 
help,  also  breeding  for  egg  production,  based  on  vigor,  high 
individual  records,  etc.,  but  the  response  to  all  these  ef- 
fort? was  not  enough — did  not  make  the  keeping  of  layer- 
flocks  on  a  commercial  basis  a  profitable  venture  during 
the  short-day  period  of  the  year,  from  September  1st  to  the 
following  March  1st,  taking  the  North  Temperate  Zone  as 
a  whole." 

In  this  same  connection  we  quote  as  follows  from  an 
article  written  in  191S  (revised  and  approved  in  1919)  by 
Mr.  J:  P.  Jordan,  New  York  City,  N.  Y.,  President  of 
Sunny  Crest  Poultry  Farm,  Inc.,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y.— see 
page  58,  this  book: 

"Many  joking  comments  have  been  made  on  working 
tbe  poor  birds  overtime.  But  what  if  you  had  to  go  to 
bed  at  half-past  three  or  four  o'clock  on  a  winter  after- 
noon, your  food  all  digested  by  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  and  then  you  had  to  huddle  yourself  up  as  best  you 
could  until  half-past  seven  or  eight  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing before  you  could  see  well  enough  to  work  for  your 
living?  You,  too,  would  soon  become  discouraged  with  life, 
contract  all  diseases  born  of  weakness  and  fail  to  produce 
vour  share  of  the  interests  of  life  which  you  would  other- 
wise produce  if  you  were  given  the  opportunity. 

"IN  THE  OPINION  OF  THE  WRITER,  THE  RESULTS 
OBTAINED  PROM  ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  IN  A  POULTRY 
PLANT  ARE  EXACTLY  AND  ONLY  WHAT  WOULD  NAT- 
URALLY BE   EXPECTED. 

'  More  exercise,  more  feed — especially  dry  mash — more 
water  by  almost  treble,  and  there  follows  these  results: 
better  health,  stronger  constitution,  greater  strength,  and, 
lastly,  the  logical  end  of  it  all,  namely— FAR  GREATER 
EGG  PRODUCTION." 


ILLUMINATION      ON      HENS 

TWIL1G-HT-9P.M. 

PEN  £5   AT    CORNELL    UNIVERSITY   ITHftCA  NEW  YORl^ 


Plate   V 

Here,  for  hens,  and  in 
Plate  VI  for  pullets,  no 
artificial  light  was  given 
mornings,  but  light  was  sup- 
plied from  early  twilight  till 
9  p.  m.  every  day  of  the 
entire  period.  Observe  the 
gain  in  egg  yield  as  com- 
pared with  the  "check  pen", 
also  as  compared  with  Platefe 
III  and  IV  respectively 
(hens  with  hens  and  pullets 
with  pullets),  also  with 
Plates  VII  and  VIII  on 
page  11,  in  which  latter  cases 
the  "Ughts"  were  used  till  9 
p.  m.  every  day  and  also 
were  supplied  from  6  a.  m. 
till  dawn  in  the  winter  and 
fall. 


Plate  VI 

Observe  in  this  case,  also 
in  that  of  hens  in  pen  25 
(Plate  V).  that  the  egg  yield 
was  much  greater  during  the 
high-price  period  of  Xoveni- 
ber,  December,  January  and 
February,  also  during  the 
good-price  period  of  Sep- 
tember and  October,  than  it 
was  from  the  "check  pens" 
(Plates  I  and  II)  of  similar 
birds  not  under  lights.  In 
both  these  cases  (pens  25 
and  26)  the  hens  and  pullets 
respectively  "took  a  rest"  in 
degree  during  the  height  of 
the  natural  "flush"  and  there- 
fore low-price  season — es- 
pecially March  and  April. 


fLLUMINATION      ON     PULLETS 

TWILl&HT— SP.M. 
PEN-  26    AT   CORNELL    UNIVERSITY    ITHACA    NEW  YORK 


^8    12    ^6    10    Z4    7    d     7    21    4 


ILLUMINATION      ON     HENS 

6  A.M.- ©P.M.    ^:. 
PEN    19    AT     CORNELL      UNIVERSITY    ITHACA  NEW  YOW 


I2M.N. 

11  P.  n. 
10 
9 
8 
7 
6 
5 
4 
3 
Z 
I 

12  N. 
Ilft.h. 
10 

•9 
8 
7 
6 
5 
4 
3 
£ 

I2M.N. 


Plate  VII 

In  this  case,  also  in  that 
shown  by  Plate  VIII,  arti- 
ficial light  was  supplied 
every  evening  till  9  o'clock, 
also  in  the  morning  during 
the  shorter  natural  sun- 
lighted  days,  with  the  result 
that  remarkable  increases  in 
egg  yield  were  obtained  dur- 
ing the  high-price  periods, 
November  28  to  March  1, 
also  during  the  good-price 
period  that  comes  each  year 
with  August,  September  and 
October — a  time  when  the 
great  majority  of  kept-over 
hens  are  in  the  molt  and 
when  most  pullets  ordinarily 
are  immature,  hence  not 
laying. 


IG    jO 


tt  «  %  »  tt  stn  %  oti  M  oc( 

13    2?    II    S  8    2?    5     13    3    It    S 


Plate  VIII 

By  reference  to  this  plate 
and  Plate  VII  it  will  be  ob- 
served that  in  these  two 
cases,  where  artificial  light 
was  used  both  morning  and 
evening,  there  was  little  or 
no  falling  behind  in  egg 
production  during  the  nat- 
ural "flush  season",  as  com- 
pared with  the  "check  pens" 
of  hens  and  pullets  respec- 
tively, and  that  the  birds 
"under  lights"  greatly  out- 
laid the  not-lighted  birds  in 
the  high  and  good  -  price 
periods  and  also  about  held 
their  own  the  rest  of  the 
time,  especially  in  case  of 
this   pen   of  pullets. 


ILLUMIKATION    ON    PULLETS 

6A.M.-9RM. 

PEN   £0  AT    CORNELL     UNIVERSITY     ITHACA  NEW  YORK 


a    E    it   10    &L1    l\    \    n   t 


nr^^  N  the  opinion  of  the  editor  or  compiler  of  this  book 
I     I  the  value  and  importance  of  the  discovery  of  the 

L^nnJ  use  of  artificial  light  to  increase  the  egg  yield  of 
^^^  domestic  fowl  in  northern  latitudes  during  the 
short,  sun-lighted  day^  of  fall,  winter,  and  early  spring, 
cannot  well  be  exaggerated,  so  far  as  professional  and 
alert  amateur  poultry  keepers  are  concerned.  This  im- 
portance is  certain  to  be  National,  in  fact  world-wide  in 
scope,  and  of  great  economic  or  financial  value.  Far- 
seeing  experts  and  students  in  the  poultry  field  already 
tre  predicting  serious  trouble  ahead  in  the  annual  storage 
of  surplus  eggs  produced  in  the  flush  season  of  spring 
snd  summer.  Our  own  view  is  that  this  method  of  adding 
to  the  supply  of  new-laid  eggs  each  fall  and  winter  will 
become  widespread  and  uniformly  successful,  but  that 
there  still  will  be  real  need  of  and  ample  opportunity  for 
the  storage  of  suiplus  flush-season  eggs,  as  produced  on 
the  average  American  farm  by  the  usual  indifferent  meth- 
ods as  to  time  o'  year,  small  sizes,  irregular  gathering, 
mixed  colors,   etc. 

But  the  word  "practical"  as  used  at  the*  head  of  this 
chapter  relates  more  particularly  to  the  "where  and  by 
whom"  phases  of  the  subject.  That  word  as  here  used 
is  meant  to  refer  to  the  situation  or  possibilities  set  forth 
in  the  quotation  from  addresses  by  Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice, 
as  they  are  presented  in  the  panel  on  the  title  page  of  this 
book,  to  the  effect  that  the  use  of  artificial  light  for  the 
purpose  of  increasing  egg  production,  especially  during 
the  high-price  season  or  seasons  of  each  year,  can  be  em- 
ployed successfully  and  to  important  financial  advantage 
by  all  classes  of  poultry  keepers — by  back-lotters,  by 
owners  or  managers  of  egg  plants,  small  or  large,  and 
also  on  ordinary  farms  where  fowls  are  kept  in  consider- 
able numbers. 

That  is  the  "practical"  use  or  value  we  have  in  mind 
just  here,  and  we  feel  that  it  should  be  duly  emphasized 
in  the  opening  pages  of  this  book.  We  could  quote  at 
length  on  this  branch  of  the  subject,  but  shall  go  only 
far  enough  to  give  these  facts  the  prominence  they  well 
deserve. 

As  regards  back-yard  poultry  keeping  and  the  profit- 
able use  of  artificial  lighting,  special  attention  is  directed 
to  the  reports  by  Warren  V.  Clarke,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  as 
they  begin  on  page  21  and  page  32.  From  Mr.  Clarke's 
article  entitled,  "Successful  Use  of  Lighting  in  Back- Yard 
Plant",  beginning  on  page  21,  the  following  quotation 
is  made: 

"The  'secret'  of  the  heavy  winter  egg  yield  that  1 
obtain  is  THE  USE  OF  ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  night  and 
morning,  thus  giving  the  chickens  a  longer  day  in  which 
to  consume  foocT,  I  find  that  you  can  feed  them  a  less 
concentrated  food  by  elongating  the  day.  Of  course,  no 
success  can  be  attained  unless  the  fowls  are  given  rea- 
sonable care,  the  proper  kind  and  quantity  of  food,  plenty 
of  drinking  water,  and  suitable  quarters.  These  condi- 
tions would  insure  the  health  of  the  fowls.  It  is,  of 
course,  highly  desirable  that  the  birds  you  keep  Should 
have  been  bred  for  egg  production. 

"The  lights  are  turned  on  at  5:30  a.  m.  and  switched 
off  at  7:15  to  7:30  p.  m.  Of  course,  as  soon  as  the  day- 
light is  strong  enough  they  are  switched  off  until  three 
or  four  in  the  afternoon,  depending  on  the  brightness  of 
the  day.  The  lights  are  used  from  October  1st  to  April 
1st  with  pullets,  but  with  yearlings  or  breeders  they  are 
used  from  August  to  February  1st,  the  hens  being  rested 
during  February  and  March  so  the  eggs  will  hatch  well 
during  the  rest  of  the  spring  and  early  summer. 

"Another  advantage  in  using  electric  lights  is  that 
the  chickens  can  be  attended  to  after  supper  for  the  fol- 


owing  day.  The  grain  feeders  and  mash  hoppers  can  be 
filled,  likewise  the  nonfreezing  water  founts.  The  only 
labor,  which  is  a  pleasant  task,  is  gathering  the  eggs." 

Next  we  refer  the  earnest  reader  to  the  report  by 
writer  entitled,  "Further  Facts  About  Use  of  Lighting 
System  in  New  Jersey",  which  is  begun  on  page  75, 
from  which  report  the  following  examples  of  large  in- 
creases in  production  are  published,  as  obtained  from  the 
carefully  kept  records  of  Mr.  Victor  G.  Aubry,  extension 
specialist  of  the  poultry  department  at  the  New  Jersey 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  New  Brunswick: 

"Again  referring  to  his  notes  and  records,  Mr.  Aubry 
said:  'Here  is  another  case,  that  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Ramsey, 
who  is  located  in  Bergen  County,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  state.  It  develops  that  Mr.  Ramsey  for  several  years 
has  tried  this  lighting  system  on  a  -  f ew  puUets,  about 
fifty  in  number,  but  previous  to  this  year  (1918-1919)  he 
had  not  followed  up  the  matter  systematically  and  with 
a  feeling  that  he  was  using  just  the  best  methods  of  feed- 
ing and  care.  You  might  class  Mr.  Ramsey  as  a  back- 
lotter.  Poultry  with  him  is  both  a  side-line  and  a  diver- 
sion— a  pleasant  one.  Lately  he  reported  that  unless  some- 
thing unforseen  turns  up,  he  never  again  will  keep  pul- 
lets over  the  winter  unless  they  are  given  the  artificial 
light.' 

"Following  is  the  yield  obtained  by  Mr.  Ramsey  dur- 
ing last  fall  and  winter: 

"September  1,  1918,  to  March  15,  1919,  the  lights  be- 
ing turned  on  September  1st:  September  1-7,  4;  Septem- 
ber 8-14,  7;  Sep- 
tember 15-21,  8.1; 
September  22-28, 
8:  September  29- 
October  5,  7.5; 
October  6-12,  8; 
October  13-19,14; 
October  20-26, 
22.4;  October  21- 
November  1, 
23  .  1 ;  November 
3-9,  22:  Novem- 
ber 10-16,  21.4; 
November  17-23, 
2  8  :  November 
24-30,  34.4;  De- 
cember 1-7,  38.1; 
December  8-14, 
42.6;  December 
15-21,  44.5;  De- 
cember 22-28,  48; 
December  29-Jan- 
uary  4,  49;  Jan- 
uary 5-11,  51.2; 
January  12  -  18, 
51;  January  19- 
25,  50;  January 
26  -  February  1, 
48.9:  February  2- 
8,  47.4;  February 
9-15,  48;  Febru- 
ary 16-22,  48.9; 
February  23- 
Maich  1,  51;  March  2-8.  52;  March  9-15,  54." 

(Note — In  noting  these  high  percentages  of  egg  pro- 
duction and  many  others  that  occur  in  this  book,  the 
reader  will  do  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  pullets  and  hens 
which  are  not  "under  lights"  produce,  as  a  rule,  about  10 
to  20  per  cent  in  egg  yield,  October  1st  to  the  following 
March  1st  in  northern  latitudes..  In  central  and  southern 
New  Jersey  the  average  yield  for  well-kept  not-lighted 
birds  is  about  20  per  cent  for  this  period  of  the  year. — Ed.) 


t\ 


VlNliL/ANL)  liKX  No.  106 
White  Plymouth  Rocks,  first 
to  last,  have  proved  to  be  good 
layers — esjiecially  so  for  a  me- 
dium weight  breed.  Above  is  a 
photographic  reproduction  of  the 
"  h  i  t  e  Plymouth  Rock 
which,  in  her  pullet  year, 
301  eggs  in  trap-nests  at 
Vineland  International  Laying 
and  Breeding  Contest— year  end- 
ing October  31,  1917— the  only 
bird  in  1,000  in  this  contest  that 
reached  the  300-egs-  mark  in  365 
consecutive   days. 


hen 
laid 
the 


PRACTICAL 


13 


Continuing,   Mr.  Aubry  said: 

"Here  are  the  reports  of  Mr.  Fred  Naylor,  who  lives 
in  the  western  part  of  Monmouth  County.  He  is  another 
beginner  who  has  used  artificial  illumination  in  his 
houses  with  surprising  results,  although  he  attributes  a 
good  deal  of  his  success,  as  regards  his  first  winter's  pro- 
duction, to  the  good  stock  he  obtained  and  to  the  fact 
that  he  grew  his  young  stock  on  a  range  where  poultry 
never  before  had  been  kept,  yet  he  credits  most  of  his 
phenomenal  fall  and  winter  egg  production  to  the  fact 
that  he  used  lights." 

"Following  is  Mr.  Naylor's  production  from  pullets, 
the  flock  consisting  of  840  birds,  on  the  average: 

"September  1-7,  12;  September  8-14,  17;  September 
15-21,  24.3;  Sep- 
tember 22-28,  37; 
September  29- 
October  S,  39; 
October  6-12, 
43.4;  October  13- 
19,  44.6;  October 
20-26,  45;  Octo- 
ber 27-Novem- 
ber  2,  44.1;  No- 
vember 3-9,  41.4; 
November  10-16, 
40.3;  November 
17-23,  40;  No- 
vember 24-30, 
45.4;  December 
1-7,  46;  Decem- 
ber 8-14,  53;  De- 
cember 15-21,  56; 
December  22-28, 
6  2  ;  Decembe-  • 
29-January  4, 
64.3;  January  5- 
11,  60;  Jaunary 
12-18,  58.9;  Janu- 
ary 19-25,  59; 
January  26-Feb- 
ruary  1,  61;  Feb- 
ruary 2-8,  62; 
February  9-15, 
60.1;  February  -16-22,  58;  February  23-  March  1,  56;  March 
2-8,  51.5;  March  9-15,  52." 

Next  Mr.  Aubry  furnished  us  the  results  obtained  by 
two  general  farmers.  Referring  to  these  reports,  Mr. 
Aubry  said: 

"Also  here  are  reports  from  two  general  farmers.  I 
refer  to  John  H.  Miller  and  to  Wm.  Wilson,  both  located 
in  the  western  part  of  New  Jersey  along  the  Delaware 
River.  They  raise  poultrv  as  an  important  side-line. 
This  is  especially  true  of  Mr.  Miller,  who  carries  about 
600  birds.  Apples  are  his  main  crop.  Both  of  these  men 
however,  have  realized  the  importance  of  poultry  when 
properly  cared  for  and  therefore  are  giving  their  hens  the 
opportunity  they  ought  to  have.  After  having  used  the 
lights  this  last  winter  on  their  flocks,  they  have  become 
more  enthusiastic  than  ever  in  regard  to  poultry  keeping 
and  in  future  will  make  this  work  what  might  be  called 
'a  main  sideTline'  on  their  general  farms.  Both  of  these 
men  used  gasoline  lanterns  to  light  their  pens. 

"Mr.  Miller's  egg  production  from  600  S.  C.  White 
Leghorns  (we  do  not  know  the  proportion  of  pullets  and 
hens)  September  1,  1918,  to  April  1,  1919,  was  as  follows: 
"September  1-7,  8.1  (lights  turned  on  September  1st)  ; 
September  8-14,  11;  September  15-21,  14;  September  22- 
28,  16.2;  September  29-October  5,  20.3;  October  6-12,  20; 
October  13-19,  21.8;  October  20-26,  23;  October  27-Novem- 
ber  2,  24.5;  November  3-9,  28.7;  November  10-16,  30.8; 
November  17-23,  35.4;  November.  24-30,  43.4;  December 
1-7,  48.6;  December  8-14,  54.4;  December  15-21,  56.8; 
December  22-28,  58.4;  December  29-January  4,  54.1;  Jan- 
uary 5-11,  52.4;  January  12-18,  54;  January  19-25,  53.2; 
January  26-February  1,  59.5;  February  2-8,  57.3;  February 
9-15,  54.1;  February  16-22,  56.3;  February  23-March  1, 
52.4;  March  2-8,  53.4;  March  9-15,  51.4;  March  16-22,  48.6; 
March  23-March  30,  53.4. 

"Mr.  Wilson,  the  other  general  farmer  referred  to 
by  Mr.  Aubry,  who  kept  200  S.  _C.  White  Leghorn  pullets, 
obtained  the  following  production,  September  1,  1918,  to 
April  1,  1919 — lights  turned  on  September  1st: 


-EGG    R.    I.    RED    HEN 
(Sanborn  s1 


"September  1-7,  5;  September  8-14,  8;  September  15- 
21,  12;  September  22-28,  20;  September  29-October  5,  25; 
October  6-12,  32;  October  13-19,  31.5;  October  20-26, 
30.3;  October  27-November  2,  30;  November  3-9,  35.3; 
November  10-16,  43.2;  November  17-23,  47.1;  November 
24-30,  54.3;  December  1-7,  57;  December  8-14,  62;  Decem- 
ber 15-21,  61.2;  December  22-28,  56.1;  December  29-Jan- 
uary 4,  51.3;  January  5-11,  56.1;  January  12-18,  58.1;  Jan- 
rary  19-25,  63;  January  26-February  1,  68;  February  2-8, 
61.2;  February  9-15,  62;  February  16-22,  61.5;  February 
23-March  1,  58;  March  2-8,  56;  March  9-15,  53;  March 
16-22,  54.1;  March  23-30,  52.3." 

Additional  to  the  foregoing,  Mr.  Aubry  presented  sim- 
ilar reports  from  large  market  egg  plants  located  in  New 
Jersey.  The  results  obtained  on  the  egg  plants  were  as 
good,  but  really  no  better  in  the  way  of  high  percentages 
ihan  those  secured  almost  without  exception  by  back- 
lotters  and  general  farmers.  Numerous  such  cases  are 
reported  throughout  this  book.  Said  Mr.  Aubry  in  con- 
clusion: 

"It  is  but  right  to  state  that  in  New  Jersey  this  past 
fall  and  winter,  I  have  known  of  only  one  case  in  which 
there  was  disappointment  in  the  use  of  lights.  In  that 
case  everything  was  going  fine  until  the  owner  of  the 
flock  decided  if  'more  light'  was  good,  then  still  more 
ought  to  be  better,  so  the  hens  were  kept  at  work  or  off 
the  roosts  for  about  eighteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty- 
four,  with  the  result  that  pretty  soon  they  went  all  to 
pieces,  so  far  as  production  was  concerned.  Twelve  to 
fifteen  hours  per  day  appears  to  be  all  the  birds  will 
stand  and  do  well,  judging  by  prolonged  tests  and  re- 
ports in  this  state  to  date." 

Following  is  a  further  quotation  from  an  address 
made  July  7-12,  1919,  by  Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice,  before  the 
Judging  and  Breeding  School  of  Cornell  University, 
Ithaca,  New  York: 

"A  Remarkable,  A  Revolutionary  Discovery" 
"Here  we  have  a  remarkable,  a  revolutionary  discov- 
ery or  advancement  in  poultry  culture.  If  it  is  as  good 
as  it  seems,  and  I  believe  that  it  is,  we  can  afford  to  pro- 
ceed carefully,  within  reason.  Such  results  as_  these  hens 
and  pullets  have  given  us  under  lights — -especially  where 
the  lights  were  turned  on  at  3  a.  m.,  are  absolutely  aston- 
ishing. They  seem  'too  good  to  be  true',  and  yet  this 
table  is  accurate;  these  results  are  ACTUAL,  and  I 
think  you  will  agree  with  me  in  the  use  of  the  word 
'revolutionary'  in 
describing  such 
remarkable  p  r  o- 
duction.  (See  full 
report  of  this  ad- 
dress, beginning 
on  page  83). 
What  the  results 
might  have  been 
if  these  fowls  had 
been  truly  high 
producers,  c  o  n- 
sisting  of  birds 
bred -in -line  for 
prolific  egg  yield, 
I  am  not  pre- 
pared to  s  a  i". 
Naturally,  we 
.ought  not  expect 
more  than  one 
egg  a  day  per 
hen,  hence  the 
financial  benefit 
to  the  average 
poultryman  in  the 
use  of  lights  will 
be  greater  per 
bird  from  aver- 
age layers  and 
moderately  good  layers  than  from  the  really  high-produc- 
tion individuals.  Yet,  no  doubt,  by  'lighting'  our  birds 
during  the  short-day  period  of  each  season  we  can  get 
the  maximum  supply  of  eggs  two,  three,  or  four  months 
earlier,  as  compared  with  past  achievement,  and  these  ex- 
cess eggs  in  the  fall  and  early  winter  will  bring  us  twice 
the  amount  in  cash,  which  to  date  has  been  about  the 
general  rule,  where  lights  have  been  used  properly. 


A   313-EGG   BARRED    ROCK 

This  Parks'  strain  hen  laid  313  eggs 
in  12^  months,  completing  the  year  on 
December  1st.  She  continued  laying 
until  the  total  number  reached  327  be- 
fore stopping  finally  to  molt. 


Description  By  Professor  Rice  of  the  Ten  Colored  Charts 

EXPLANATORY  LEGENDS  TO  BE  STUDIED  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  COLOR  PLATE 
ILLUSTRATIONS  ON  PAGES  6,  7,  10,  11,  AND  15;  GIVING  RESULTS  OF  EXPERIMENTS  IN 
ILLUMINATION  FOR  THE  CONTROL  OF  EGG  PRODUCTION,  AS  MADE  AT  THE  NEW 
YORK  STATE  COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE,   CORNELL  UNIVERSITY,  ITHACA,   N.  Y. 

By  JAMES  E.  RICE,  Profiaor  of  Poultry   Husbandry 


PLATES  I  and  II  attempt  to  illustrate  the  amount  of 
da3'light  and  darkness  each  month  of  the  year  in 
New  York  State  and  the  way  the  length  of  the 
night  and  the  day  influences  the  normal  distribution  of 
egg  production  throughout  the  year  in  the  case  of  hens 
and   pullets. 

Plates  III  to  X  show  the  way  various  methods  of 
providing  artificial  illumination  influence  the  distribution 
of  egg  production  with  hens  and  pullets. 

In  the  first  eight  illustrations  the  same  graph  is  used 
to  display  the  periods  of  daylight  and  darkness,  since  the 
flocks  under  experiment  were  observed  for  the  same 
length  of  time — namely,  from  November  4th,  1917,  to 
October  31st,   1918,  a  period  of  forty-eight  weeks. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  representing  the  periods  of 
night  and  day  on  a  flat  suiface  it  is  necessary  to  divide 
the  periods  of  darkness  at  midnight  so  that  reading  the 
hours  of  the  day  and  the  night  on  the  left  of  each  graph, 
from  the  bottom  up,  one  can  determine  the  changing  time 
of  dawn  and  twilight  for  each  period  of  the  year.    If  this 


1  ,l 

ik^ii 

i 

k^ 

5 

\^m ' 

^^2SiH?»^ 

.^liiiym,^^^^^ 

^^'  ■      -^..         1 

BARRED    PLYMOUTH 

ROCK 

HEN   No.    17 

Laid   272   Eggs   in   One 

Year. 

These    farm-grown,    gra 

de-value, 

egg-    records    Riven    above,    d 

ling    this 

vTnelan 

di 

cted   at  Vineland.   N.  J.,   under  the  c 

New   Jersey   Agricultural    Ex 

periment 

be 

done   in   this  diiection.      Birds   did 

is 

done  it  will  be   noticed, 

as   showi 

BARRED    n 

HE> 

Laid   2TS    Es 


Barred  Plymouth  Rocks  made  the  high 
in  year  beginning  November  1,  1916,  the 
I  Egg  Isaying  and  Breeding  Contest,  con- 
lirection  of  the  Poultry  Department  of  the 
Station,  New  Brunswick.  Birds  had  been 
3r  high  egg  production.  Shows  what  can 
not  have   the  benefit  of  artificial  light. 


shown  by  the  arrows,  that 
on  the  shortest  day,  December  21st.  the  daylight  is  ap- 
proximately nine  hours  and  the  darkness  approximately . 
fifteen  hours  long  and  that  on  the  longest  day,  June  21st, 
the  exact  reverse  is  true,  namely — a  fifteen-hour  day  and 
a  nine-hour  night,  and  that  on  March  21st  and  September 
21st  the  nights  and  the  days  are  equal — twelve  hours  each 
— which  is  approximately  the  condition  each  day  of  the 
year  near  the  equator  where  the  domestic  fowl  is  sup- 
posed to  have  originated. 
14 


Assuming  that  the  periods  of  the  year  in  New  York 
state  when  the  nights  and  the  days  are  essentially  equal 
are  the  most  favorable  for  production,  it  naturally  fol- 
lows that  during  midsummer  the  fowls  have  longer  periods 
of  daylight  than  they  normally  require  and  that  during 
the  midwinter  they  have  shorter  periods  of  daylight  than 
they   should   have   for   eflficient   egg  production. 

The  distribution  of  egg  production  is  shown  in  Plates 
I  and  II,  the  dotted  line  giving  the  per  cent  production 
for  each  four-week  period  and  showing  that  the  expand- 
ing period  of  daylight  increases  production  and  contract- 
ing periods  of  daylight  decrease  production,  with  both 
hens  and  pullets.  In  the  case  of  hens  the  contrast  is  more 
pionounced  than  it  is  with  pullets.  This  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  hens,  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  or  later 
years^of  laying,  will  have  laid  out  their  production  during 
the  preceding  year  and  generally  are  not  fully  recuperated 
and  ready  to  start  a  new  cycle  of  laying  when  the  ad- 
verse conditions  of  cold  weather  and  shorter  days  of  the 
fall  arrive,  whereas  the  pullets,  if  they  were  hatched  so 
as  to  begin  laying  normally  in  September  or  October  (in 
New  York  state)  have  by  that  time 
stored  up  enough  nourishment  to 
produce  a  considerable  number  of 
eggs  even  under  the  adverse  fall  con- 
ditions, as  shown  in  the  case  of  hens, 
Plate  I,  and  pullets,  Plate  II. 
Results  of  Three  Different  Methods 
How  three  different  methods  of 
supplying  light  influence  egg  produc- 
tion on  hens  and  pullets  is  shown  in 
Plates  III,  IV,  V,  VI,  VII,  and  VIII. 
Both  the  hens  and  the  pullets  used 
in  these  tests  were  under  the  average 
in  quality,  having  been  left  over  after 
the  other  college  teaching  and  ex- 
periment project  needs  had  been 
provided  for.  However,  the  birds  in 
all  of  the  pullet  pens  were  essential- 
ly similar,  as  were  the  birds  in  the 
hen  pens.  The  bird%.  in  all  of  the- 
eight  flocks  were  fed  the  regular  Cor- 
nell rations,  and  the  other  conditions, 
such  as  the  kind  of  houses,  the  kind 
of  pens,  light,  wattage,  etc.,  were  as 
near  similar  as  it  was  possible  to 
make  them. 

Plates  III  and  IV  show,  by  the 
area  in  red,  the  amount  of  light 
given,  namely — 7  a.  m.  until  dawn  and 
from  twilight  until  7  p.  m.  This,  it 
will  be  seen,  was  sufficient  to  make 
a  perceptible  increase  in  production 
during  the  first  five  months  and  the 
last  month,  in  the  case  of  the  hens, 
and  a  somewhat  similar  increase  in 
the  case  of  the  pullets  during  the 
second,  third,  fourth,  and  last  five  months.  The  age  and 
condition  of  the  pullets  apparently'  was  such  that  the 
amount  of  illumination  given  was  not  sufficient  to  make 
a  marked  increase  in  production. 

In  Plates  V  and  VI  will  be  seen  the  distribution  of 
production  where  the  light  was  given  from  twilight  until 
9  p.  m.  during  the  entire  time  of  the  experiment.  Thus 
there  was  so  sudden  break  or  gradual  decline  in  the 
amount  of  artificial  light  given,  as  is  usually  the  case  in 
actual  practice  during  the  late  fall  and  early  spring  months 
when  artificial  lighting  normally  is  started  and  stopped. 
Undoubtedly    the    light   was   not   required   in    summer. 


ILLUMINATION     ON     HENS 

INTERMITTENT        l_IG-HT 

ABRUPT      CHANG-E     PENT 


.2. 

:  I   "  -'- 

■I2N:  ■ 
11  A.M. 
lO  ■ 


PER    CENTTEG-G-   PRODUCTION 


.ABRUPT    LIGHT 

LE&END   \    LI&HTS   TNNILI&HT -9RM. 

NO   ARTIFICIAU    LI&HT 


70° 
60 

4-7.4  50 


31.1 


PLATE  IX — Find  description  of  this  plate  on  page  16  herewith  by  Jas.  B. 
bandry.  New  York  State  Colleg-e  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  University,  who  was  ii 
mental  work  which  is  illustrated  so  graphically  by  these  ten  color-plate  chart.", 
study  Plate  X  below. 


lice,  Professor  of  Poultry  Hus- 
personal  charge  of  the  experi- 
In    connection    with    this    chart. 


ILLUMINATION      ON     HENS 

INTERMITTENT         LIG-HT 

GRADUAL      CHAN&E      PEN  8 


PER    CENT    E&&     PRODUCTION 
50.3 


—  G-RADUAL-    LIG-HT 
•■-LIGHTS     TWILIGHT -9P.M. 
--NO    ARTIFICIAU     LIG-HT 


10% 
60 
4-74  50 


PLATE  X — Find  description  of  this  plate  on  page  16  herewith  by  J 
bandry,  New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  University,  who 
mental  work  which  is  illustrated  so  graphically  by  these  ten  color-plate 
study   Plate   TX   above. 


R 

CP 

Professor 

of 

Poultry    Hus- 

pp 

sonal    chai 

S"e 

of 

the 

experi- 

connectioi 

ith 

this 

chart, 

16 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 


The  increase  in  egg  production  with  the  hens  under 
illumination  was  quite  marked  during  the  first  four  months 
and  the  last  two  months,  as  was  also  the  decline  in  pro- 
duction  from   the   normal   check-pen   flock   not  artificially 


HEN    No.    A-5727.    CORNELL    UNIVERSITY 
Laid    1,013     eggs     from     December    14.    1910- 
Aug-ust     15,     1918,     inclusive.     Note    length    and 
depth    of   body. 

lighted,  as  indicated  by  the  open  space  between  the  dotted 
line  and  the  green-colored  portion  of  the  chart  in  the 
sixth,  seventh  and  eighth  periods,  which  was  from  about 
the  middle  of  April  to  the  middle  of  July.  The  gains  in 
production,  therefore,  were  during  periods  of  high  egg 
prices  and  the  losses  in  production  on  the  part  of  the 
pens  having  illumination  occurred  during  the  periods  of 
lowest  prices.  Essentially  similar  shifts  in  production 
from  the  low  to  the  high  priced  areas,  though  less  in  de- 
gree, resulted  with  the  pullets. 

The  most  marked  increase  in  egg  production,  due  to 
artificial  light,  of  any  of  the  methods  tried  in  this  series 
of  experiments  was  where  illumination  was  given  from  6 
a.  m.  to  daylight  and  again  from  twilight  to  9  p.  m.,  to 
a  pen  of  pullets,  thus  giving  at  least  a  fifteen-hour  day 
during  the  entire  test.  Under  the  same  method  of  illum- 
ination the  pen  of  hens  produced  about  the  same  as  in 
pen  25  (Plate  V),  where  illumination  was  given  only  un- 
til 9  p.  m.,  except  that  there  was  practically  no  decline  in 
production  during  the  summer.  The  consistently  high 
egg  yield  during  the  entire  experiment,  except  a  slight 
drop  during  the  Sth  or  6th<f)^'riodv  I'^^-jiiand  M=ay,"was 
striking,  indicating  that  the  hens  were  laying  ' efficiently, 
which  also  means  happily,  throughout  the  year. 
Rule  That  "Works  Both  Ways" 

The  real  test  of  any  theory  or  conclusion  is  whether 
or  not  the  rule  will  work  both  ways  which,  being  applied 
to  illumination,  means  whether  egg  production  can  be  in- 
creased or  decreased  AT  WILL  by  the  use  of  artificial 
light,  all  other  conditions  being  essentially  similar.  Plates 
IX  and  X,  page  IS,  show  two  brief  tests  that  were  made 
in  the  dead  of  winter"  to  find  out  to  what  extent  alter- 
nately giving  and  withholding  light  would  influence  pro- 
duction  favorably  or  otherwise. 

In  Plate  IX,  as  is  shown  by  the  red  portion,  light 
was  given  to  a  flock  of  hens  until  December  16th,  at 
which  time  the  lights  were  discontinued  until  January 
19th,  a  period  of  four  weeks.  The  portion  of  the  illustra- 
tion in  green  shows  that  the  production  has  been  36,  32, 
and  26  per  cent  respectively  during  the  three  preceding 
weeks  and  that  during  the  next  three  weeks  it  decline.! 
until  the  fowls  ceased  laying.  It  also  shows  that  during 
the  second  week  following  the  turning  on  of  the  lights 
again  that  the  production  had  raised  to  25  per  cent,  but 
that  notwithstanding  the  lengthening  of  the  natural  day- 
light period  at  this  time,  the  hens  did  not  reach  even  a 
normal  production  up  to  the  date  when  the  test  was  dis- 
continued, the  latter  part  of  March. 


Please  refer  to  Plate  IX.  The  line  indicated  by  the 
dash  shows  the  production  of  a  flock  of  hens  of  similar 
quality  under  similar  feeding  and  care  that  was  not  given 
artificial  light.  The  dotted  line  indicates  the  production  of 
a  similar  flock  of  hens  which  at  the  same  time  was  re- 
ceiving illumination  until  9  p.  m.  continuously.  While  the 
production  of  this  flock  declined  somewhat  during  the 
very  severe  weather,  which  prevailed  at  the  time  the  test 
was  made,  they,  nevertheless,  maintained  a  yield  of  33,  22,_ 
20,  15,  and  24  per  cent  production,  while  the  flock  whose' 
light  supply  had  been  turned  oflf,  steadily  declined  and 
finally  ceased  to  lay. 

In  order  to  observe  the  comparative  effects  between 
abruptly  withholding  the  lights  and  abruptly  turning  them 
on  again,  as  compared  to  diminishing  and  increasing  them 
gradually,  the  test  was  made  with  a  flock  of  hens  similar 
in  quality  to  those  shown  in  Plate  IX.  In  Plate  X  will 
be  seen  the  influence  of  restricting  the  amount  of  light 
fifteen  minutes  each  night  until  no  lights  were  given  and 
then  continuing  without  lights  for  one  week,  then  resum- 
ing the  illumination  gradually  by  increasing  the  amount  of 
light  fifteen  minutes  each  day  until  the  regular  amount 
was  given,  namely — from  twilight  until  9  p.  m. 

The  same  flocks  are  used  for  comparison  as  in  Plate. 
IX,  shown  here  also  by  the  dash  and  the  dotted  lines. 
The  green-shaded  portion  of  the  chart  and  the  figures 
here  given  show  that  the  production  declined  more  grad- 
ually than  in  Plate  IX,  but  did  not  cease  entirely,  though 
it  reached  an  average  of  3.4  per  cent  production  for  one 
week  while  no  illumination  was  given  and  then  gradually 
rose  to  5,  13,  18,  26,  28,  and  29  per  cent  respectively  in 
direct  conformity  to  the  increase  in  the  amount  of  illumi- 
nation, fifteen  minutes  each  day,  until  the  normal  amount 
of  artificial   light  until   nine  o'clock  was  reached. 

From  the  preliminary  tests  here  reported  one  would 
not  be  justified  in  drawing  final  conclusions  as  to  the 
most  efficient  methods  of  illumination.  The  breed  of 
fowls,  the  laying  quality  of  the  stock,  the  condition  of 
the  birds,  the  climatic  conditions,  and  methods  of  feeding 
— ALL  these  are  important  factors  which,  in  other  years, 
under  similar  conditions  even  in  the  same  location,  or  in 
the  same  year  in  different  locations,  might  produce  dif- 
ferent   results.      These    tests,    however,    JUSTIFY    THE 


HEN  No.  A-7531,   CORNBX.L  UNIVERSITY 
This  hen  laid  exactly  1,000  eggs  from  Novem- 
ber   16,    1910-September    20,    1917,    thus    entering 
the  1,000-egger  class. 

CONVICTION  that  artificial  light  was  the  factor  CHIEF- 
LY RESPONSIBLE  for  the  increase  or  the  decrease  in 
production  at  various  periods.  This  should  lead  us  to 
the  belief  that  the  proper  application  of  artificial  light 
when  it  is  correctly  understood,  IS  LIKELY  TO  BE 
OUR  MOST  POSITIVE  METHOD  OF  CONTROL  OF 
EGG    PRODUCTION.  Respectfully, 

JAS.   E.   RICE. 
Ithaca,   N.   T.,  November   18th,   1919. 


Forcing  Egg  lield  By  Use  of  Artificial  Light 

AN  EFFORT  TO  REDUCE  LABOR  LED  TO  THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  ELECTRIC  LIGHT  IN  A 
POULTRY  HOUSE  AND  THAT  SUGGESTED  LENGTHENING  THE  WORKING  HOURS  OF 
THE  HENS  BY  TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT  FOR  AN  HOUR  BEFORE  DAYLIGHT  AND  AFTER 
DARK— THE  SURPRISING  AND  GRATIFYING  RESULTS— THE  EGG  YIELD  INCREASED 
AND  NO  ILL  EFFECTS  WERE  NOTICED— THE  AVERAGE  DROPPED  IN  FOUR  DAYS 
AFTER  THE  LIGHT  WAS  DISCONTINUED— THE  EGGS  HATCHED  BETTER  THAN  THOSE 
FROM  FOUR  OTHER  BREEDERS  AND  THE  CHICKS  WERE  STRONG  AND  MORE  VIGOROUS 


ir.  11.  REYNOLDS,  Br 


,Ma 


AS  STATED  to  the  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  in  a  letter  of 
recent  date,  I  certainly  have  no  objection  to  the 
public  getting  the  benefit  of  what  experiments  I 
have  made  or  may  in  the  future  make  in  the  care  and 
feeding  of  poultry,  hence  as  promised,  I  give  below  a 
correct  account  of  my  experience. 

April  20th,  1910,  I  purchased  120  day-oJd  White  Ply- 
mouth Rock  chicks  of  Jos.  Tolman,  Norwell,  Mass.;  they 
grew  well  and  from  them  I  raised  fifty-four  pullets. 

Late  in  September  I  put  forty-seven  of  these  in  a 
new   10x16  Tolman   open-front  house.    October  6th   they 


A  view  of  the  Tolman  open-front  poultry  house  that 
was  lighted  by  electricity  by  W.  H.  Reynolds,  Braintree, 
Mass.  to  try  the  experiment  of  lengthening-  the  day  for 
the   hens   in    order    to    increase    their    egg   yield. 

laid  their  first  egg  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  month 
I  received  seventy-eight  eggs.  The  first  fourteen  days  in 
November  they  improved  some  and  averaged  fourteen  per 
day. 

This  poultry  keeping  is  but  a  hobby  with  me  and 
wishing  to  eliminate  as  much  of  the  labor  as  possible  I 
had  my  houses  wired  for  electric  light,  my  idea  being  to 
care  for  them  as  much  as  possible  after  business  hours, 
which,  of  course,  during  the  short  days  meant  after  dark. 
The  light  in  the  Tolman  house  was  so  placed  in  the  cen- 
ter that  one  forty  watt  tungsten  lighted  the  interior 
perfectly. 

As  my  egg  yield  had  not  increased  as  rapidly  as  1 
thought  it  should,  I  decided  to  try  the  experiment  of  feed- 
ing by  electric  light  and  in  that  way  lengthen  the  working 
hours  of  the  flock. 

I  started  in  by  turning  on  the  light  just  before  dark 
and  giving  them  a  light  feed  of  grain  in  the  litter  to  keep 
them  busy,  later  scattering  the  balance  of  their  supper. 
Within  a  week  I  had  them  working  and  eating  until  7 
o'clock  p.  m.  After  they  had  become  accustomed  to  this 
arrangement  I  continued  to  turn  the  light  on  before  dark 
but  did  not  feed  until  5:30  or  6  o'clock. 

At  about  7  o'clock,  to  get  them  to  go  to  roost,  the 
light  was  dimmed  with  a  dark  cloth  which  would  quickly 


start  them  for  the  perches  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  light 
was  turned  off. 

As  I  was  obliged  to  feed  early  in  the  morning  (6 
o'clock)  I  would  turn  on  the  light  and  down  they  would 
come  and  go  to  work,  thus  gaining  an  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing during  the  short  days.  For  the  first  week  of  the  ex- 
periment there  was  an  increase  of  but  one  egg  per 
day,  but  the  last  eight  days  of  November  they  averaged 
twenty-five.  (Against  an  average  of  fourteen  the  first 
fourteen  days  of  the  month. — -Ed.) 

During  the  entire  month  of  December  they  laid  .1,028 
eggs,  33  per  day,  or  70  per  cent.  The  smallest  number  re- 
ceived any  one  day  in  December  was  27;  the  highest  was 
42  once,  but  had  39  twice  and  37  three  times. 

From  January  1st  to  the  20th,  inclusive,  they  have 
averaged  thirty-one  per  day  with  a  high  score  on  January 
2nd  of  41,  and  on  January  Sth  of  42;  January  3rd  and  9th 
36  each.  From  January  20th  to  the  end  of  the  month  they 
averaged  but  20  with  a  score  one  day  of  fourteen,  the  low- 
est since  November  19th. 

I  account  for  this  falling  off  in  yield  in  three  ways: 
several  had  probably  laid  out  their  clutch,  four  being 
broody  at  one  time,  and  about  eight  were  afflicted  with  a 
touch  of  bronchitis  caused  either  by  an  excessive  amount 
of  coal  dust  in  the  house  from  a  dusting  box  which  I  had 
carelessly  placed  much  too  far  from  the  open  front  and 
which  was  vigorously  used  by  the  hens,  or  if  not  from  this 
cause   then   they   may   have   taken   a    slight   cold   in   some 


A  flash  light  photograph  of  White  Plymouth  Rock 
hens  busily  engaged  in  hunting  in  the  litter  for  sprouted 
oats  and  dry  grain  at  7  p.  m.,  the  house  being  well  lighted 
by  electricity.  For  the  result  of  this  treatment  on  the 
egg   yield,    see    accompanying   article. 

way,  possibly  from  being  allowed  the  use  of  an  open  yard 
in  all  kinds  of  weather. 

Whatever  the  cause,  it  was  not  serious,  for  they  all 
recovered  promptly  and  from  the  appearance  of  the  flock 
at  the  present  time  (February  1)  I  look  for  a  rapid  in- 
crease in  the  egg  yield  from  now  on. 

From  the  time  I  received  the  first  egg  to  the  end  of 


18 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


January  this  pen  has  averaged  52  eggs  per  hen.    The  yield 
by  months  is  as  follows: 

October   78 

November    509  Average  per  day  17 

December   1028  Average  per  day  33 

January    841   Average  per  day  27 

Total 2'456" 

What  effect  this  early  unusual  laying  will  have  on  the 
result  for  the  year,  I  shall  watch  with  much  interest. 
While  I  may  not  get  a  larger  yield  for  the  year,  I  surely 


..« 

A  partial  view  of  the  nests,  roosts  and  flock  housed 
in  an  electrically-lighted  Tolman  open-front  house  by 
their  owner,  W.  H.  Reynolds,  Braintree,  Mass.,  who  large- 
ly increased  the  egg  yield  of  the  flock  during  the  coldest 
months  of  the  winter  by  prolonging  their  day  by  arti- 
ficial light. 

have  had  a  generous  share  of  eggs  when  the  price  was  the 
highest. 

This  remarkable  egg  yield  for  this  season  of  the  year 
is  due  almost  entirely  to  the  use  of  electric  lights  chan;2- 
ing  the  length  of  the  day  for  them  to  correspond  with 
spring.  The  cold  weather  seemed  to  have  no  effect  on  the 
egg  yield,  in  fact,  some  of  the  largest  days  were  the 
coldest.  My  method  of  feeding  varies  but  little  from  the 
regulation  system. 

How  They  Were  Fed 

I  started  in  with  hoppers  filled  with  dry  mash  and 
meat  scrap,  but  continued  to  feed  sprouted  oats  which 
they  have  had  from  the  time  they  were  two  weeks  old. 
These  oats,  by  the  way,  are  a  little  different  from  what  is 
usually  meant  by  sprouted  oats.  I  allow  them  to  grow 
about  five  days  when  they  will  have  a  sprout  from  a  half 
to  an  inch  long;  in  this  way  I  claim  they  not  only  get  the 
benefit  of  the  sprout,  but  much  of  the  goodness  is  still 
left  in  the  oat.  In  the  morning  I  throw  these  into  the  lit- 
ter and  cover  well.  I  soon  found  the  more  sprouted  eats 
I  fed,  the  less  mash  and  scraps  they  ate  until  for  the  last 
two  months  they  have  eaten  comparatively  little  mash  or 
scrap.  To  this  pen  I  feed  about  seven  pounds  of  ground 
flesh  bone  per  week.  At  night  I  feed  a  generous  amount 
of  mixed  grain  in  the  litter.  In  this  way  they  have  to 
work  for  practically  all  their  food. 

At  the  present  time  these  hens  seem  strong  and 
healthy  and  have  much  the  appearance  of  yearlings.  Have 
recently  put  three  cockerels  with  this  flock  and  shall 
have  some  of  the  eggs  incubated  in  February  and  later  'n 
the   season,    expecting   to    get   strong,    lusty   chicks,    my 


theory  being  that  these  hens  have  not  been  forced,  but  by 
lengthening  the  day  for  them,  they  have  had  more  hours 
to  eat  and  assimilate  food,  conforming  somewhat  to  the 
conditions  of  spring. 

My  other  pen  is  made  up  of  twenty-seven  birds,  twen- 
ty old  hens  and  seven  pullets  culled  from  the  other  flock 
early  in  the  season.  In  the  case  of  these  birds  I  cannot 
tell  exactly  how  much  benefit  the  light  was,  as  I  did  not 
try  it  until  about  December  10th,  and  the  house  is  poorly 
arranged  for  lighting,  being  cut  up,  which  of  course, 
makes  shadows.  By  being  persistent  I  finally  got  them  to 
follow  the  same  hours  as  the  other  pen  with  the  result 
that  they  averaged  but  three  the  first  24  days  in  Decem- 
ber; ten  the  last  seven  and  16  in  January.  From  what  I 
have  been  able  to  see,  I  feel  confident  that  the  old  hens 
have  done  their  share  and  done  very  well  by  comparison 
with  what  is  expected  of  old  hens  at  this  time  of  the  year. 

I  mention  this  as,  in  my  opinion,  the  longer  working 
day  has  had  a  tendency  to  shorten  their  rest  period  and 
I'ad  I  started  earlier  in  the  season,  I  should  without 
iioubt  have  had  much  better  results. 

I  have  of  course  a  daily  record  of  the  egg  yield  from 
these  pens,  but  assume  what  figures  I  have  given  will  be 
all  that  is  necessary  to  show  the  benefits  of  the  lighting 
system.  If  this  system  continues  a  success  to  the  end  of 
the  season  I  shall  have  the  lights  made  as  near  automatic 
as  possible  and  also  commence  earlier  in  the  fall,  hoping 
by  that  means  to  mature  my  pullets  earlier. 

I  enclose  several  photos  of  my  flock — the  two  out- 
side views  were  taken  in  the  day  time  and  give  a  fairly 
good  idea  of  house  and  hens. 

The  interior  views  were  taken  between  6  and  7  P.  M., 
January  29th,  by  flash  light;  these  are  not  specially  good, 
but  are  the  best  I  could  get  by  flash  light  and  they  give  a 


Part  of  the  flock  of  White  Plymouth  Rocks  belong- 
"■  to  W.  H  Reynolds,  Braintree,  Mass.,  enjoying  the 
jtdoor  air.     They  show  no  lack  of  vitality,  though  they 


little   idea   of  the   flock   eating   and   working   by   artificial 
light. 

Later  News  of  the  Flock 

Braintree,  Mass.,  March  S,  1911. 
Editor   R.   P.   J.:— 

Yours  of  March  4th  asking  for  further  information 
about  my  experience  in  using  artificial  light  in  my  poultry 
houses,   received. 

My  previous  letter  gave  the  results  to  February  1st. 
February  14th  my  pen  of  47  was  reduced  to  46,  one  becom- 
ing crop   bound   and   not   being  noticed  by   -  -      -     - 


til   It  was 
late  to  save  her.     During  the  month   of  February  I  re- 
ceived 551   eggs,   an  average   of  20   per  day,   or  43   per  cent, 
with  a  high  record  of  27  and  a  low  one  of  11. 

During  the  month  I   reduced   their  working  hours  from 
7  to  6:30  p.  m.  and  on  February  25th  discontinued  the  lights 
as   the  days  were  then   long  enough   to   allow   them  to  feed 
(Continued  on  page   45) 


Ten  Eggs  Per  Week  Per  Hen  and  How  It  Was  Done 

THREE  EXPERIMENTS  WERE  MADE  IN  THREE  CONSECUTIVE  YEARS,  EXTENDING  FROM 
DECEMBER.  FIRST  TO  APRIL  FIRST  —  PRIMARY  REASON  FOR  CONDUCTING  EXPERIMENTS 
WAS  NOT  TO  OBTAIN  MORE  EGGS  FROM  AGIVEN  NUMBER  OF  HENS  IN  A  SPECIFIED  TIME, 
BUT  TO  SECURE  EGGS  OF  HIGHEST  HATCHING  QUALITY  —  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOUSE, 
THE  CARE  AND  THE  FEED— NO  PULLETS  WERE  USED— DAYLIGHT  WAS  ARTIFICIALLY  PRO- 
LONGED AND  NATURAL  CLIMATIC  CONDITIONS  SECURED  BY  HOT  WATER  HEATING  SYSTEM 


By  E.  C.  JVALDOKF,  M. 


uffalo,  N.  Y. 


ACTING  on  your  request  to  give  the  readers  of  your 
Journal  the  method  and  results  of  my  forced  egg- 
production,  I  herewith  present  the  plan  from  the 
data  still  preserved,  together  with  facts  as  I  recall  them. 
It  might  be  well  to  state  at  the  outset  that  the  primary 
reason  for  attempting  forced  ovulation  was  not  to  obtain 
more  eggs  from  a  given  number  of  hens  in  a  specified 
time,  but  to  secure  eggs  of  the  highest  hatchable  quality. 
This  suggestion  developed  from  the  fact  that  the 
eggs  from  hens  laying  five  to  seven  eggs  per  week  hatched 
much  better  than  did  eggs  from  the  same  hens  when  they 
were  laying  fewer  eggs  per  week.  Close  observations 
along  these  lines  were  made  for  two 
seasons.  It  was  also  observed  in  con- 
nection with  these  experiments  that 
only  the  dense  eggs  hatched  in  high 
percentage  and  that  the  density  of 
the  eggs  was  not  lessened  during  the 
time  of  increased  egg  production.  With 
these  facts  established,  I  began  my 
first  attempt  in  forced  egg  produc- 
tion in  December,  1889. 

These  experiments  were  made  on 
the  premises  of  Patrick  Kinney,  56 
Yoik  St.,  Bufifalo,  N.  Y.  A  hen  house 
for  the  purpose  was  erected,  meas- 
uring 12  X  16  feet,  inclining  to  the 
southwest  and  northeast.  The  height 
was  16  feet  on  the  south  side  and  21 
feet  on  the  north.  This  gave  a  slop- 
ing roof  to  the  south,  which  was 
glass,  after  the  order  of  a  green  house 
roof.  In  the  center  of  this  glass  root 
was  placed  a  ventilator  shaft  one 
foot  square  and  three  feet  high.  The 
top  of  this  shaft  was  closed,  having 
six  one  inch  holes  on  each  side  near 
the  top.  Aside  from  the  door  en- 
trance there  were  no  other  means  of 
ventilation. 

The  entrance  door  was  placed  in 
the  middle  of  the  south  end,  leading 
into  a  hallway  3  feet  wide,  extending 
to  the  north  end  and  as  high  as  the 
skylight.  This. hallway  was  made  of 
matched  lumber,  provided  with  four 
matched   doors   opening  into   each   individual   pen. 

The  house  rested  upon  the  ground,  which  was  a  sandy 
loam  covered  with  fine  gravel  three  inches  deep.  A  trench 
eighteen  inches  wide  and  three  feet  deep  was  dug  the  full 
size  of  the  house.  This  trench  was  covered  with  loose 
boards,  sufficient  to  sustain  banking  but  open  enough  to 
permit  drainage,  thereby  ensuring  against  moisture  in  the 
ground  floor  of  the  house. 

It    may    here   be    stated    parenthetically,    that    several 


E.  C.  WALDORF,  M.  D. 
BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
So  far  as  R.  P.  J.'s  records  show, 
after  extensive  Inquiry,  the  credit  be- 
longs to  Dr.  Waldorf  for  being  the 
first  man  in  the  United  States — per- 
haps in  the  world — to  employ,  design- 
edly and  systematically,  the  use  of 
artificial  illumination  for  lengthening 
the  short  days  of  fall  and  winter,  with 
the  object  of  increasing  the  egg  pro- 
duction of  domestic  fowls.  He  made 
his  first  experiments  in  the  years  18S9- 
1892  at  his  home  on  Porter  Avenue, 
Buffalo,  N.  T.,  where  he  still  re.-ides 
as  a  successful  practicing  physician. 
Farther  on  in  this  book  are  to  be 
found  interviews  and  reports  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  Waldorf,  treating  on  this 
important  —  in  fact,  "revolutionary" 
subject  in  the  field  of  constructive  and 
progressive  Poultry  Culture"  on  profit- 
able lines. 


previous  y.ai-o'  exptiiei.ce  in  poultry  raising  had  taught 
me  that  success  in  any  particular  branch  of  the  business 
was  in  direct  proportion  to  attention  to  detail;  therefore, 
in  an  attempt  to  realize  the  unusual,  no  important  feature 
to  that  end  should  be  omitted.  To  proceed,  an  excava- 
tion three  feet  wide,  four  feet  long  and  three  feet  deep 
was  made,  bisecting  the  house  from  the  east  side  to  the 
west  side.  The  excavation  was  lined  with  concrete,  and 
in  it  was  installed  a  hot  water  heating  system  with  nat- 
ural gas  as  fuel,  which  also  was  the  illuminant  for  the 
house,  which  will  be  explained  later. 

The  house  was  divided  in  three  floors  or  sections 
from  ground  to  roof,  each  subdivided 
as  follows:  ground  sections  seven 
feet  high,  each  with  a  matched  board 
ceiling.  Six  feet  above  this  a  similar 
matched  ceiling  was  placed,  leaving 
the  top  divisions,  or  third  floor  rooms 
or  pens,  three  feet  high  on  the  south 
side  and  eight  on  the  north.  It  will  be 
recalled  that  the  roof  was  of  glass 
and  it  was  here  that  most  of  the  sun- 
ning and  dusting  was  done,  the  floor 
being  covered  with  dry  dust  and  fine 
sand.  Three  inches  of  cut  straw  cov- 
ered the  sand  and  dust  on  this,  the 
top  floor.  The  second  floor  was  cov- 
ered with  chaff  and  fine  straw,  to  the 
depth  of  one  foot.  The  ground  floor 
was  covered  with  oat  straw  one  foot 
in  depth,  which  was  renewed  once 
a  month. 

This  house  was  provided  with  win- 
dows on  all  sides  for  the  first  and 
second  stories,  but  high  enough  to 
prevent  the  fowls  looking  out  from 
the  floor.  On  the  ground  floor  each 
sash  was  18  inches  wide,  extending 
the  full  length  of  the  pen  and  placed 
three  feet  above  the  ground.  I  might 
say  in  passing  that  some  fowls  be- 
come uneasy  when  they  can  look  out, 
but  are  unable  to  get  out.  Therefore 
all  windows  were  placed  too  high  for 
the  hens  to  see  the  outside  ground 
from  the  floor.  I  had  learned  through 
previous  experiments  made  with  the 
same  hens,  that  where  the  windows  were  close  to  the 
ground  and  there  was  no  chance  to  get  out,  a  loss  of 
30  to  SO  per  cent  in  egg  production  would  result. 

Wooden  troughs  one  foot  wide  and  six  inches  deep 
were  constructed  for  each  of  the  four  lower  pens  and 
placed  under  the  windows.  The  hot  water  heating  system 
consisted  of  one  inch  pipes  just  above  the  windows  on 
the  ground  floor  and  extending  completely  around  the 
coop,    returning    to   the    heater    along  the    floor  of    the 

19 


20 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


wooden  troughs.  The  troughs  were  filled  with  fine  dust- 
ing earth  and  wood  ashes.  Four  small  V-shaped  troughs, 
one  for  each  pen,  6j4  ft.  long,  were  placed  in  the  parti- 
tion and  pivoted  at  the  ends  so  as  to  appear  in  the  aisle 
for  filling  and  in  the  pen  for  feeding  as  desired.  The 
troughs  were  suspended  just  high  enough  for  feeding  the 
daily  mash.  Two  roosts,  Sj^  feet  long,  for  each  pen  were 
placed  4  feet  above  the  ground,  above  the  feed  troughs. 
The  droppings  boards  were  placed  six  inches  below 
the  roosts  and  nailed  tight  to  the  partition.  A  snugly 
fitted  board  six  inches  wide  in  the  aisle  partition,  on 
hinges,  facilitated  cleaning  the  board  from  the  aisle. 
Four  automatic  nests  for  each  pen  were  placed  eighteen 
inches  above  the  roosts  and  made  accessible  from 
the  aisle  by  hinged  boards.  Narrow  doors  for  entrances 
at  the  corners  where  the  aisles  met  completed  the  wood 
work,  except  the  storm  house  6x10  at  the  entrance,  in 
which  the  feed  was  stored.  The  second  and  third  floors 
were  reached  from  openings  cut  in  the  floors  at  the  ends. 
I  wish  particular  emphasis  to  be  laid  upon  the  tight 
board  partitions,  cutting  off  all  view  from  any  pen  to  an- 
other, as  this  arrangement  is  an  essential  factor  to  con- 
tentment. Nine  hens  and  one  rooster  occupied  each  pen. 
They  were  locked  in  on  December  1st  and  released  April 
Ist,  for  three  successive  years.  No  pullets  were  used.  The 
stock  was  purchased  in  the  summer,  indiscriminately,  at 
the  open  Buffalo  market  for  killing,  only  early  molters 
being  purchased.  Both  Mediterranean  and  Asiatic  breed- 
ers were  used,  mixed  or  otherwise — size  and  health  being 
the  only  requirements. 

What  They  Were  Fed 
From  this  heterogeneous  flock  of  one  hundred  fowls 
the  selection  was  made,  using  the  same  hens  in  many  in- 
stances for  two  winters.  Feed  consisted  of  cracked  corn, 
oats,  wheat  and  barley, "each  one-fourth.  This  grain  was 
strewn  liberally  in  the  litter  on  the  ground  and  second 
floors,  after  fowls  were  on  the  roosts,  and  then  only. 
Moist,  hot  mash  was  fed  daily  at  10  A.  M.  The  base  of 
this  mash  was  boiled  barley  and  wheat,  equal  parts,  in 
water  which  contained  cut  clover,  cabbage  and  fresh  beef 
bones  cut  in  small  pieces.  This  mixture  was  prepared 
daily  and  kept  an  the  stove  constantly  and  was  boiled  in 
a  large  copper  kettle  and  used  after  twenty-four  hours 
boiling  and  simmering. 

Sufficient  ground  oats  and  middlings,  half  and  half, 
were  added  to  make  just  a  moist  mixture.  Twice  a  week 
ground  oyster  shell  and  a  tablespoonful  of  cayenne  pepper 
were  added  to  the  mixture.  Beef  lungs  were  kept  hang- 
ing within  reach  of  the  fowls  at  all  times  and  were  re- 
placed with  fresh  when  stale. 

Six  weeks  were  allowed  for  preparation,  which  was 
until  January  ISth. 

In  order  to  give  the  fowls  natural  climatic  conditions 
the  automatic  thermostats  were  set  as  follows:  Tempera- 
ture of  dusting  boxes,  75  degrees;  ground  floor  pen,  58  de- 
grees; second  floor,  65  degrees;  third  floor,  70  to  95  de- 
grees, depending  on  sunlight  for  highest  mark. 
Prolonged  Their  Day  Artificially 
The  proper  length  of  daylight  was  provided  by 
the  installation  of  four,  100-candle  power,  Argand  gas 
burners  suspended  from  the  first  ceiling,  one  foot  from  the 
outside  edge  and  five  feet  from  the  ground.  Each  burner 
was  provided  with  a  large  reflector,  throwing  the  light 
directly  downward.  These  lights  were  controlled  by  an 
automatic  time  adjuster  and  were  turned  on  at  3:30  A. 
M.  and  off  again  at  7:30.  They  were  turned  on  again  at 
S  P.  M.  and  off  at  8  P.  M.  for  the  night.    The  results  of 


these  tests  were  published  in  The  Clyde  Times,  Clyde,  N. 
Y.,  in  February,  1889,  the  complete  daily  record  having 
since  been  mislaid  or  lost. 

IT  IS  SUFFICIENT  TO  SAY  THAT  TEN  EGGS 
PER  HEN  PER  WEEK  WAS  THE  AVERAGE  FOR 
THREE  MONTHS,  AND  VERY  NEARLY  SO  FOR 
THE  ENTIRE  PERIOD,  GRADUALLY  FALLING 
OFF  FOR  THE  NEXT  TWO  MONTHS  AND  THEN 
CEASING  ALTOGETHER. 

Any  poultryman  who  will  adhere  to  the  general  prin- 
ciples herein  specified,  in  every  small  detail,  can  realize 
like  results,  and  with  well-bred,  vigorous  1914-1915  laying 
stock  no  doubt  could  obtain  twelve  eggs  per  week  per  hen. 
The  remarkable  activity  and  vigor  of  the  hens  was 
most  surprising.  The  instant  the  clock  mechanism  turned  up 
the  lights,  all  would  bound  fiom  the  roost,  and  in  two  min- 
utes they  were  digging  for  food  in  the  litter  like  so  many 
machines.  Between  four  and  five  o'clock  one-half  the  hens 
as  a  rule  had  laid  and  the  others  in  the  next  two  hours. 
In  the  same  afternoon  between  four  and  six  the  majority 
would  lay  again,  and  so  on,  week  in  and  week  out. 

Whenever  the  shells  of  the  eggs  from  any  hen  were 
not  firm  and  smooth,  lime  water  was  substituted  for  the 
regular  drinking  water  until  all  eggs  had  firm  shells.  Solid 
cabbage  heads  were  kept  within  reach  of  the  hens,  when 
loss  in  shell  or  loss  of  density  was  noticed.  At  this  time 
the  percentage  of  wheat  to  barley  also  was  increased. 

At  that  time  there  were  no  scientifically  prepared 
feeds,  as  at  present,  and  probably  the  use  of  the  latter 
would  enhance  the  results  materially,  besides  lessening 
the  close  attention  we  gave  to  the  feed.  I  might  say  in 
passing  that  there  was  not  a  single  case  of  illness  or  death 
during  the  three  seasons  while  this  forced  egg  production 
was  being  carried  on.  On  the  contrary,  there  appeared  to 
be  complete  happiness,  with  no  evidence  of  a  desire  to 
get   out  doors   at  any  time. 

This  fact  is  accounted  for  I  think  by  the  tight  board 
partitions,  the  high  windows  and  few  number  of  fowls 
to  each  pen.  I  also  consider  the  presence  of  the  male  a 
necessary  adjunct  to  the  flock  to  assure  contentment  of 
all.  Another  necessary  factor  is  the  same  attendant  in 
precisely  the  same  clothes  daily,  dark  blue  being  prefer- 
able. Also  there  should  be  no  unnecessary  noise,  no 
pounding,  no  fluttering  of  paper,  nor  any  motion  which 
will  cause  the  least  fright  or  attention.  No  one  but  regu- 
lar attendants  should  be  allowed  in  the  hen  house  at  any 
time,  and  they  ought  not  to  enter  the  lower  pen  unless  ail 
fowls  are  above  that  floor.  Talk  gently  to  them  at  the 
time  of  feeding,  etc.  Clean  chimneys  and  reflectors  when 
fowls  are  on  a  floor  above.  Never  add  nor  take  away 
any  fowl  from  any  flock  while  engaged  in  an  egg-test. 
Do  this  culling  out  in  the  fall  and  early  winter. 

With  this  attention  to  detail,  ninety  per  cent  of  all 
eggs  will  pass  the  test  for  hatching  and  practically  100  per 
cent  of  such  eggs  are  hatchable.  I  believe  the  system  to 
be  more  profitable  than  the  regular  methods  pursued. 
Fowls  thus  forced  require  fully  one-third  more  feed  than 
they  would  ordinarily  consume.  The  important  feature, 
however,  lies  in  the  fact  that  by  it  hatchable  eggs  can  be 
obtained  universally  as  earlv  as  desired.  The  writer  dis- 
tinctly recalls  having  set  fifteen  hens,  each  with  fifteen 
eggs,  in  the  month  of  January,  and  they  hatched  every  egg. 
The  interesting  tests  here  described  would  have  been 
continued  had  not  the  fire  underwriters  objected  to  the 
use  of  aas  in  that  manner.  Electricitv  and  the  tungsten 
bulb  offer  today  a  far  better  light,  with  no  risk,  and  such 
an  illuminant  is  much  to  be  preferred,  not  only  on  ac- 
count  of  less   risk,  but   also  from   an  absence  of  dust  in 

the  burner  itself. 

(NOTE:  The  foregoing  article  is  reprinted  from  the 
February.  1915,  issue  of  R.  P.  J.) 


Successful  .Use  of  Lighting  iu  Back- Yard  Plant 

METHOD  OF  BACK- YARD  POULTRY  KEEPING  THAT  PAID  WELL— FULL  DETAILS  ABOUT 
HANDLING  MODERATE  SIZED  FLOCK  IN  CITY  DOORYARD— OWNER  USES  INEXPENSIVE 
ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  TO  PROLONG  THE  DAY  AND  STARTS  A  NEW  FLOCK  EACH  SPRING 
BY  BUYING  DAY-OLD  CHICKS  —  HIS  NET  PROFIT  FROM  A  BACK- YARD  FLOCK  FOR  ONE 
MONTH    (NOVEMBER,    1917)    WAS    $87.29  —  HOW    HE     MANAGES    AND    FEEDS     HIS    BIRDS 

Bi  Jf'A  R  REN  r.  CLARKE,  Bufah,  N.  Y. 


WITH  the  hope  that  the  story  of  my  successful 
operation  of  a  chicken  "farm"  in  a  space 
25x90  feet,  located  at  the  rear  of  my  city  home, 
will  be  of  benefit  to  those  already  engaged  in  a  like  ven- 
ture and  inspire  others  to  go  into  the  poultry  business,  I 
am  submitting  the  following  facts: 

Eight  years  ago  I  began  keeping  chickens  and  dur- 
ing that  time  have  bred  Parks'  Barred  Rocks  and  Martin's 
White  Wyandottes,  also  Black  Minorcas  and  Rhode 
Island  Reds,  and  for  the  last  four  years  S.  C.  Wh'te 
Leghorns.  I  have  never  done  any  hatching,  but  always  buy 
day-old  chicks.  These  are  brooded  in  a  Prairie  State 
hover  supplied  with  a  coal  stove,  but  I  use  natural  gas 
in  place  of  coal.    I  have  brooded  from  SO  to  514  chicks  in 

separate   lots  at   different  times.    My 

brooder  house  is'  divided  into  two 
compartments  and  the  brooder  room 
is  kept  darkened. 

Feeding  the  Young  Chicks 

The  first  drink  the  baby  chicks 
have  is  sour  or  buttermilk,  and  their 
first  food  is  Pratt's  and  H.  O.  Chick 
Food,  or  two  parts  of  crushed  wheat 
and  one  part  of  pinhead  oatmeal.  I 
use  rolled  oats  sparingly. 

The  chicks  when  ten  days  or  two 
weeks  old  are  given  a  dry  mash,  con- 
sisting of  50  pounds  of  bran,  25 
pounds  of  middlings,  25  pounds  of 
hominy  or  corn  meal,  25  pounds  of 
rolled  oats,  10  pounds  of  meat  scrap, 
sifted  to  remove  the  larger  pieces,  10 
pounds  of  bone  meal,  5  pounds  of 
charcoal  and  1  pound  of  salt  to  each 
100  pounds  of  mash. 

Sprouted  oats  should  be  fed  to  the 
chicks  when  they  are  three  days  old. 
Sprouted  oats  is  the  chief  green  food 
of  my  chicks.  It  makes  bone  and 
keeps  them  busy,  in  fact,  all  my  chick- 
ens from  the  time  they  are  three 
'days  old  receive  a  liberal  supply  of 
sprouted  oats,  and  I  never  have  any 
trouble  with  crop  bound  birds. 

Feeding  Sprouted  Oats  to  Chicks 

These  sprouted  oats  are  fed  vfhtn  the  sprouts  are 
one-half  to  one  inch  long.  It,  takes  the  oats  from  four  lo 
five  days  to  grow  such  sprouts,  and  when  fed  at  this  stage 
they  are  more  like  the  tender  weed  sprouts  that  chickens 
seek  in  the  spring  and  early  summer.  These  oats  are  not 
allowed  to  grow  sufficiently  to  be  matted  when  fed.  The 
feeding  of  large  quantities  of  oats  is  recommended.  I  use 
them  liberally  in  the  mash  and  in  the  form  of  sprouted 
oats. 

The  chicks  get  rolled  oats  when  they  are  young  and 
crushed  oats  after  they  are  ten  weeks  old.    Oats  and  bran 


help  to  build  up  the  frame  of  the  chicks.  As  chickens  do 
not  care  for  middlings  they  are  used  only  when  the  chicks 
are  young  in  order  to  counteract  looseness  of  the  bowels. 
My  chickens  eat  more  grain  than  mash,  and  yet,  as  my 
records  show,  I  GET  THE  EGGS.  The  droppings  tipped 
with  white  show  that  the  ration  agrees  with  them.  I  do 
not  feed  too  heavily  of  meat  or  fish  scrap  when  the  chicks 
are  young  because  it  upsets  their  digestive  organs. 

The  ideal  mash  hopper,  circular  in  shape,  with  2-inch 
wire  mesh  on  top  of  the  mash,  is  absolutely  non-wasting. 
Twelve  birds  can  eat  mash  at  one  time.  It  is  hung  from 
a  hook  so  that  it  is  rat  proof  and  it  can  be  easily  moved. 
Experience  has  shown  that  the  chickens  eat  more  mash 
when  it  is  fresh  every  day,  so  I  make  a  practice  of  adding 


tuins    this    light    on    in    winter    at    5  3 

at  7  15  to  7  30  p  m.  Electric  light  is  not  used  durms;  the 
light  IS  sufficient  to  keep  the  hens  at  woik.  For  a  full  dei 
cessful   back-yard   poultry  plant,   see   the   accompanying   arti 


Mr    Clarke 

t    off 

fo 

r    the 

night 

dav 

when    the 

dav- 

cript 

on 

ot   h.s 

a  little  mash  every  night  and  mixing  it  with  the  mash 
that  is  left  in  the  hopper.  If  a  week's  supply  of  mash  is 
put  in  the  hopper  the  birds  will  eat  more  the  first  part 
of  the  week  and  less  in  the  latter  part,  but  by  freshening 
it  each  day  and  stirring  it  up  they  consume  a  practically 
uniform  quantity  day  after  day. 

Value  of  Autorhatic  Feeding  Hoppers 
The  automatic  Ideal  grain  feeders  T  regulate  so  that 
they  feed  little  grain  at  a  time.  This  gives  the  chickens 
the  exercise  they  need  with  a  smaller  floor  space.  I  made 
a  little  change  in  the  construction  of  this  feeder  so  that 
it  has  both  a  rotary  and  a  pendulum  action,  and   by  the 


22 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 


use  of  half  a  dozen  washers  I  adjusted  the  feeder  so  that 
it  gives  out  only  a  few  grains  at  a  time  and  it  is  easily 
operated  by  a  young  bird.  The  prolific  busy  layer  obtains 
the  feed  it  needs  to  lay  eggs  and  the  drone  does  not 
waste  the  food  that  it  does  if  it  is  thrown  in  the  litter. 
The  pullets  are  started  with  the  feeders  when  they  are 
eight  weeks  old.  On  a  cold  night  if  I  find  that  the  chick- 
ens have  not  worked  the  feeders  enough  to  give  them  the 
needed  supply  of  food,  I  throw  them  a  little  grain  that 
they  can  pick  up  quickly. 

I  have  also  found  that  it  is  well  to  be  sparing  with 
the  litter,  changing  it  as  soon  as  it  becomes  heavy,  for 
the  fresh,  light  litter  is  warmer  for  the  chickens  and  in- 
duces the  needed  exercise  in  cold  weather. 

When  the  pullets  are  five  months  old  I  begin  to  feed 
for  eggs,  giving  them  a  wet  mash  and  increasing  the  meat 
scrap  and  corn  meal  in  their  ration.  By  feeding  in  the 
manner  described  my  birds  have  grown  large  frames  and 
then  can  add  the  surplus  of  fat  which  is  needed  by  a 
heavy-laying  pullet. 

Importance  of  Culling  the  Chicks 

The  importance  of  culling  should  not  be  overlooked. 
When  the  chicks  are  four  weeks  old  I  begin  removing 
culls  from  the  flock,  that  is,  the  undersized,  weak  chick;. 
If  these  culls  are  placed  in  a  separate  pen  they  will  pro- 
duce a  small  percentage  of  laying  hens.  It  has  been  my 
experience  that  if  there  is  any  sickness  it  us.ually  develops 
in  the  cull  chick. 

As  an  example  of  what  can  be  done  with  culls  I  will 
cite  the  case  of  a  friend,  who,  inspired  by  the  success  of 
my  back-yard  poultry  "farm,"  wished  to  begin  a  similar 
enterprise.  I  suggested  that  he  take  the  culls  that  I  was 
about  to  kill  and  practice  on  them  to  learn  whether  he 
really  liked  chickens  well  enough  to  give  them  the  neces- 
sary care  to  insure  success.  He  fed  them  sour  milk  mash 
and  of  course  gave  them  extra  good  attention,  the  result 
being  that  only  one  died,  19  we're  sold  as  broilers,  and  the 
pullets  at  the  time  of  writing  this,  December.  1917,  arc 
laying. 

My  flock  is  culled  when  four,  six,  eight  weeks  old — in 
fact,  they  are  culled  constantly.  Finally,  when  I  pen  th.e 
pullets  in  the  fall  the  best  are  put  in  one  pen  and  the 
poorer  ones  in  another. 

In  culling  for  drones  after  the  birds  have  reached  the 
laying  age,  look  for  those  that  are  yellow  around  the  vent. 
When  the  skin  has  been  pinkish  and  begins  to  get  yellow, 
you  can  rest  assured  that  the  bird  has  ceased  to  lay  or  is 
about  to  stop  laying.  Another  way  is  to  pick  the  birds 
from  the  roosts  that  have  small  crops.  Put  these  birds 
into  a  separate  compartment  and  examine  them.  You  will 
find  a  large  per  cent  of  them  will  be  yellow  around  the 
vent. 

The  Back-Yard  Poultry  House 

In  our  back  yard  are  two  poultry  houses  both  18 
feet  deep.  The  newer  one  is  18  feet  wide  and  is  divided  in 
two  pens,  each  9  feet  wide.  The  roosting  pen  has  an  open 
space  two  feet  high,  covered  with  wire,  running  across  the 
front  of  the  pen.  The  scratching  pen  is  all  open  front, 
except  two  feet  from  the  bottom  where  it  is  boarded  to 
keep  out  the  "weather." 

In  the  spring  I  plan  to  alter  this  house  by  dividing 
the  roosts,  putting  three  roosts  in  each  pen.  They  will 
not  be  very  high  from  the  floor  and  about  one  foot  below 
them  will  be  a  frame  covered  with  one-inch  mesh,  as  large 
as  the  space  underneath  the  roosts.  It  will  rest  on  8  to 
12-inch  boards  set  on  edge  inclosing  this  space.  By  this 
arrangement   the   droppings   will   go   through   the   netting, 


MR.  W, 


the  birds  can  not  scratch  in  the  droppings,  and  in  getting 
off  the  roosts  will  keep  their  feet  much  cleaner,  and  thus- 
tl  e  eggs  will  not  be  soiled. 

Then  I  plan  to  put  a  wire  partition  in  front  of  the  roosts 
reaching  to  the  ceiling,  and  in  this  partition  will  be  a  three- 
foot  door  entering  the  roosting  compartment.  It  will  be 
opened  at  night  on  the  last  trip  to  the  coop  to  allow  the 
chickens  to  come  out  of  the  roosting  room  the  first  thing  in 
the  morning,  or  I  may  decide  to  put  in  an  arrangemet 
something  like  a  trap-nest  so  the  chickens  can  come  out 
from  the  roosting  coop  but  can  not  enter  until  I  open  the 
large  door  in  the  evening.   Thus  the  hens  will  be  kept  away 

from    the     roosts 

in  the  daytime 
a  n  d  '  t  h  e  y  will 
spend  more  time 
eating  the  mater- 
ial out  of  which 
t  o  manufacture 
eggs. 

H  e  r  e  w  i  th  is 
shown  an  inter- 
ior view  of  the 
other  coop, 
though  some  al- 
terations have 
been  m  a  d  e  in 
this  interior  since 
the  picture  was 
taken.  The  high 
roosts  and  drop- 
pings  boards 
have  been  re- 
moved and  lower 
roosts  with  the 
wire  covered 
frame  to  catch 
the  droppings, 
have  been  in- 
stalled. There  is 
a  b  s  o  1  u  t  ely  no 
foul  odor  in 
either  coop,  and 
when  there 
comes  a  leisure 
day  or  a  warm 
.  day  in  winter  the 
wire  frame  is  lifted  oflf  and  the  droppings  shoveled  out. 

Of  the  two  coops  the  old  one  seems  to  be  warmer, 
as  the  air  rising  from  the  birds,  heats  the  center  and 
gradually  works  its  way  to  the  front  of  the  coop.  In  the 
nevi^  coop  with  the  shed  roof  the  heated  air  leaves  the 
coop  faster  and  the  coop  seems  colder. 

My  holidays  are  usually  spent  traveling  around  the 
country  visiting  poultry  plants  and  exchanging  poultry 
experiences  with  their  owners.  On  a  trip  last  summer  \ 
saw  on  Bumford  Farms  a  coop  fashioned  something  like 
the  one  shown  herewith.  This  coop  was  16  feet  wide  and 
24  feet  deep.  The  superintendent  of  the  poultry  farm  said 
that  it  was  the  best  coop  on  the  farm,  that  it  was  the 
cheapest,  capacity  considered,  and  that  he  received  the 
largest  egg  yield  from  it. 

Points  on  Poultry  House  Convenience 

This  coop  was  built  on  2x8's  rounded  in  front,  and 
it  can  be  moved  by  a  team  like  a  stone  boat.  On  my 
poultry  plant,   which   I   expect  to  have  in   the   future,  all 


CLARKE,    BUFFALO, 
accompanying- 


rticle  Mr. 
Clarke  describes  his  baclv  -  yard  poul- 
try plant  and  gives  some  interesting 
figures  covering  two  year?,  showing 
that  in  spite  of  high  prices  of  feed, 
poultry  can  be  made  to  pay  a  good 
profit.  Mr.  Clarke  now  uses  electric 
light  in  the  early  morning  and  late 
afternoon  and  evening,  and  after  its 
introduction  he  noticed  a  marked  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  eggs  laid  by 
his  S.  C.  White  Leghorns.  For  electric 
lighting  Mr.  Clarke  uses  the  ordinary 
low-cost  incandescent  bulbs.  The  cost 
of  electricity  for  one  entire  year  (Nov. 
1,  1916-Nov.  1,  1917)  was  only  $6.95, 
while  his  profits  for  one  month  alone 
(November,  1917)  were  $87.29.  His 
birds  are  attended  to  before  he  goes  to 
business  in  the  morning  and  after  he 
returns  at  night. 


SUCCESSFUL  USE  OF  LIGHTING  -IN  BACK- YARD  PLANT 


23 


my  coops  will  be  moved  every  year,  which  will  do  away 
with  soil  contamination.  The  front  of  the  coop  will  bs 
altered,  however,  and  I  will  use  an  overhanging  front  with 
windows  below,  hinged  at  the  bottom  so  that  on  nice 
days  there  will  be  a  front  opening  of  4x9  feet  and  on 
stormy  or  windy  days  the  windows  can  be  closed  to  keep 
out  the  snow  and  wind. 

Having  the  roosting  pens  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  house,  as  described  above,  I  can  cull  my  birds  easily 
by  placing  crates  in  front  of  the  opening  and  examining 
the  birds  the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  In  fact,  I  will 
have  the  birds  under  my  control  at  all  times.  On  my 
poultry  plant  of  the  future  I  shall  provide  yards  so  that 
different  pens  can  be  turned  out  into  them,  and  later  when 
the  corn  which  I  plan  to  grow  around  the  houses,  is  old 
enough,  the  different  pens  will  be  allowed  to  cultivate  it  ■ 
free  of  charge. 

It  is  now  well  known  that  chickens  need  a  liberal  an(i 
constant  supply  of  fresh  water  if  they  are  to  produce  a 
maximum  quantity  of  eggs.  Of  course  it  is  quite  a  prob- 
lem to  keep  the  water  from  freezing  in  winter.  I  am  in- 
stalling the  Little  Putnam  Stove  (manufactured  by  I. 
Putnam,  Box  1206,  Elmira,  N.  Y.)  using  three  in  one  coop 
containing  120  birds,  and  two  in  the  other  coop  contain- 
ing 70  birds.  Each  stove  will  heat  or  keep  warm  2  gal- 
lons of  water.  It  will  keep  it  from  freezing  and  yet  as  the 
water  becomes  low  in  the  two  gallon  fount  it  does  not 
get  so  warm  that  the  chickens  will  refuse  to  drink  it.  The 
accompanying  cut  shows  how  I  will  arrange  this  water 
heater.  A  little  way  down  from  the  top  about  on  a  level 
with  the  bottom  of  the  top  cross  piece  on  the  door,  I  have 
put  a  shelf  on  which  I  have  the  eggs  placed  as  they  are 
gathered  during  the  day.  This  will  keep  them  from  freez- 
ing and  they  can  all  be  carried  into  the  house  on  the  last 
trip  at  night. 

Using  Electric  Lights 

The  "secret"  of  the  heavy  winter  egg  yield  that  I  ■ 
obtain  is  THE  USE  OF  ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  night  and 
morning,  thus  giving  the  chickens  a  longer  day  in  which 
to  consume  food.  I  find  that  you  can  feed  them  a  less 
concentrated  food  by  elongating  the  day.  Of  course,  no 
success  can  be  attained  unless  the  fowls  are  given  reason- 
able care,  the  proper  kind  and  quantity  of  food,  plenty  of 
drinking  water  and  suitable  quarters.  These  conditions 
would  insure  the  health  of  the  fowls.  It  is,  of  course, 
highly  desirable  that  the  birds  you  keep  should  have  been 
bred  for  egg  production. 

The  lights  are  turned  on  at  5:30  a.  m.  and  switched 
off  at  7:15  to  7:30  p.  m.  Of  course,  as  soon  as  the  day- 
light is  strong  enough  they  are  switched  off  until  three  or 
four  in  the  afternoon,  depending  on  the  brightness  of  the 
day.  The  lights  are  used  from  October  1st  to  April  1st 
with  pullets,  but  with  yearlings  or  breeders  they  are  used 
from  August  to  February  1st,  the  hens  being  rested  dur- 
ing February  and  March  so  the  eggs  will  hatch  well  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  the  spring  and  early  summer. 

Another  advantage  in  using  electric  lights  is  that 
the  chickens  can  be  attended  to  after  supper  for  the  fol- 
lowing day.  The  grain  feeders  and  mash  hoppers  can  be 
filled,  likewise  the  non-freezing  water  founts.  The  only 
laboi,  which  is  a  pleasant  task,  is  gathering  the  eggs.  As 
stated  above,  these  are  placed  in  the  compartment  built 
above  the  water  fount  and  the  eggs  can  then  be  counted 
and  brought  to  the  house  in  one  trip.  Once  more  let  me 
call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  since  I  did  away  with 
the  droppings  board  and  installed  wire  screen,  I  have 
gathered  day  after  day  seven  to  eight  dozen  eggs  and 
only  two  or  three  of  them  would  need  cleaning. 

The  objection  may  be  raised  that  everyone  cannot  ob- 
tain electric  lights.  Most  "back-yard"  poultrymen  can  get 


this  service,  even  in  small  villages,  but  when  I  move  to 
my  poultry  farm  I  shall  install  a  storage  system  if  I  can- 
not obtain  current  from  a  nearby  electric  plant.  However, 
I  shall  seek  a  farm  near  a  large  city,  as  I  consider  30 
acres  near  a  city,  so  that  one  may  commute  or  drive  to 
town  each  day,  better  than  60  acres  where  one  would 
have  to  ship  his  products  by  express  or  consign  them  to 
a  commission  man,  thereby  losing  at  least  IS  per  cent  of 
the  producer's  legitimate  profits. 

A  Summary  of  Results 

On  request,  I  have  gone  into  details  regarding  my  lit- 
tle back-yard  plant  and  the  care  I  give  my  chickens,  in 
the  hope  that  the  recital  will  benefit  other  "back  yarders' 
who  are  not  now  meeting  with  success,  and  encourage 
others  to  go  into  the  poultry  business.  I  have  pointed  out 
the  way  and  now  I  come  to  the  pleasant  task  of  telling  the 
excellent  returns  I  have  had  from  my  chickens. 

First,  we  will  consider  the  year  extending  from  No- 
vember 1,  1915,  to 
Nov.  1,  1916.  Of 
necessity,  I  will 
have  to  show  the 
cost  of  bringing 
my  flock  to  the 
point  of  earning 
power.  April  18, 
1915,  I  bought 
104  day-old  S.  C. 
White  Leghorns 
at  a  cost  of  $12. 
On  May  23rd  1 
bought  108  more 
of  the  same  age 
and  breed  at  a 
cost  of  $10.00 
Out  of  the  two 
lots  I  lost  18 
chicks,  leaving 
194.  In  June,  July 
and  August,  1915, 
90  broilers  ■  were 
sold  at  an  aver- 
age price  of  44 
cents,  or  a  total 
of  $39.60.  In  Sep- 
tember 10  pullets 
were  sold  for 
$8.50.  and  13  do- 
zen eggs  were 
sold  in  August. 
September  and 
October  at  35 
cents  per  dozen, 
or  a  total  of 
$4.55. 


UNI 

LITT] 

Mr.  W.  V.  Clarke,  in  the  accompany- 
ing- article,  states  that  he  is  now  using 
five  of  these  little  stoves  to  keep  the 
drinking  water  from  freezing-.  He  is 
utilizing  it  still  further  by  placing  a 
shelf  inside  the  box  on  a  level  with 
the  bottom  of  the  upper  cross-piece  on 
the  door.  On  this  shelf  he  places  the 
eggs  as  they  are  taken  from  the  nests 
in  cold  weather.  The  gentle  heat 
keeps  them  frorn  freezing  and  then 
they  are  all  counted  and  carried  to 
the  house  on  the  last  trip  to  the 
coops.  Using  electric  lights  and  thus 
prolonging  the  day,  Mr.  Clarke  fre- 
quently gathers  eggs  that  are  laid  as 
late  as  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Following  are  the  directions  for  using 
the  Little  Putnam  Stove  for  this  pur- 
pose as  given  by  the  manufacturer, 
Mr.    I.    Putnam,     Route     1206,     Elmira, 


Nev 


Tork: 


"Tak 


7iae. 


box  at  least  ten  inches 
■n  inches  deep  and  seventeen 
long. 


and 


.nches  long.  Remove 
make  a  door  of  it.  Cut  a  hole  m  the 
door  two  by  four  Inches.  The  bottom 
of  the  hole  should  be  the  same  height 
as  the  top  of  the  water  container. 
Bore  three  or  four  holes,  an  inch  m 
diameter,  in  the  bottom  of  the  door 
to  admit  air.  They  should  be  about 
two  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the 
door.  The  five  holes  (%-inch  in  diam- 
eter) shown  in  the  cut  are  in  the  cor- 
rect position.  Put  an  inch  of  sawdust 
or  bran  in  the  bottom  of  the  case, 
and  nail  a  strip,  an  inch  square,  across 
the  front  to  keep  it  in.  The  above  ar- 
rangement keeps  the  flame  from  be- 
ing blown  out.  and  the  water  from 
pollution.  In  hot  weather  this  case 
may  be  used  without  the  sto-ve  to 
keep  the  water  cool  and  clean.  Fowls 
frequently  freeze  their  wattles  in  win- 
ter by  getting  them  wet  while  drink- 
ing To  prevent  this  fill  your  water 
vessel  full  of  clean  straw  and  pour  the 
water  in  on  the  straw.  The  fowls  will 
poke  in  the  straw  to  get  what  -water 
they  want,  but  the  straw  will  keep 
their   wattles   out   of  the   water." 


Buying  my  feed 
in  small  lots,  it 
cost  $64.30  up  to 
N  o  V  e  m  b  er  1st. 
Deducting  my  re- 
ceipts from  my 
expenses  left  me 
a  net  expense  of 
$33.65  and  94 
chickens  to  start 
operations  on  No- 
vember 1st.  On 
taking  inventory. 
I  found  I  had  78 
laying  pullets  to 
put  into  the  lay- 
ing house.  There 
were  16  culls 
which  I  later  sold 
for  $11.53,  which 
amount  I  includ- 
ed in  my  inven- 
tory for  the  year  November  1,  1915,  to  November  1,  1910. 

A  strict  account  was  kept  of  the  cost  of  feed,  etc.,  as 
well  as  sales  of  eggs  and  chickens  for  food.  The  net 
profit  per  month  was  as  follows: 


24  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO- INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 

n»jr™K"'  Inlc  ?  5.14  and  of  the  remainder  SO  per  cent  were  pullets  and  50  per 

December    1915  31.66  cent  cockerels.   About  two-thirds  of  the  pullets  were  good 

T?  k"^*"^'     ,n,^ 33.11  to   keep   and   one-third   was    sold.    The   day-old    chicks   I 

1-ebruary    1916  24.80  bought  for  the  year,   November   1,   1917,  to  November   1, 

&-,\f,,l     25.98  1918,   came  from  three  different  poultry  farms  and  were 

YiF     '  ,mP  18.08  hatched  April  23rd.    In  my  best  pen  the  first  egg  was  laid 

y^y-   \l]^  24.60  October  4th  and  in  my  second  pen  October  24th,  and  1 

{""^'  ,J^J^°  21.85  received  altogether  in  October  316  eggs. 

July,  lyib      27.37  From  April  23rd   to  June   1st  my  expense,  including 

August    1916       29.41  feed,  gas  and  incidentals,  was  $42.13  and  for  June  $48.74. 

September   1916  19.80  July  showed  a  credit  of  $27.64  on  account  of  the  sale  of 

October,  1916  14.02  broilers.     Expenses    for   August    were   $34.30.     September 

showed  a  profit  of  $8.94,  credit  being  given  for  the  sale 

$275.82  of  a  few  third-class  pullets.    In  October  the  expenses  were 

Deducting  from  this  the  $33.65,  net  expense   November  ?37.03,  making  168  pullets  left  cost  $234.29  or  about  $1.40 

1,  1915,  mentioned  above,  left  me  a  net  proi^t'  of  $242.17.  ^P'^^^- 

Every  month  the  non-layers  were  culled  and  disposed  ^  To'   ^^%  yield  for  November,   1917,  from   168  pullets 

of  at  20  cents  per  pound,  so  that  November  1    1916    T  had  ^^^  ^^  yearhngs,  October  molters,  was  2781  eggs,  which 

only  20  out  of  the  origiAaT78  pulle°ri?ft  and    het  wer  ^°'<^  ^°''  $1^2.40.    The  expenses  for  feed,  cartons,  electric 

October  molters  that  were  still  givin'^n  averaL  of  Z^r  "^^'t^'   ^^^^^  ^^^°^  ^"<1  incidentals  were  $65.13,  leaving  a 

eggs  daily.   The  monthly  egg  yiefd  wa^s  as  foE  T*  "'.^K"^  ^F'^^-  ^^""^  ^^^  •'^l^'i^^^^-    ^^^?  ^  'P'^'  *^"' 

November    1915                                                                '          log  credit  the  electric  lights  with  this  unusual  profit. 

December,'  1915  ..." 770  The  reader  will   note  that  as  eggs  go  up  in  the  fall 

January,  1916  ...  iO?r  ""Y  ^^g  yield  increases,  and  the  yield  drops  off  when  the 

February,   1916   "..!"'...!''.. [rpo  price  goes  down.    The  use  of  electric  lights  reverses  the 

March,   1916            ".Z^^"!! 1-360  seasons  so  that  in  November  and  December  my  flock  nets 

April,   1916             140^  rne  as  much  as  many  a  plant  of  a  similar  size  does  in  a 

May,  1916  ■■ -''Zi;z;z;;;;;";"izi""";:;;i;";:::;;";;;";;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;i486  ^^°'^  y^^""- 

June,  1916  ''.."l313  So    far   this   winter    I    have    been    receiving    from    61 

July,   1916  !Z..!!ll94  cents  to  80  cents  a  dozen  for  eggs  at  wholesale  and  retail. 

August,    1916   '..'"""  705  ^   special   customer  who  wants  the  over-sized  eggs  pays 

September,   1916 ..II''.."!  60S  ^^  cents  a  dozen  for  them.    One  of  the  highest  class  gro- 

October,   1916   "'     290  ceries   is   glad   to    take   all    the  eggs    that   I   can    furnish 

^i^^ and  they  have  paid  me  from  61  cents  to  68  cents  a  dozen 

11  580  ^°^  them.    When  they  paid  68  cents  they  sold  them  for  80 

"Prr>rv,  -R-^K,           ^  ^  ^      A              ,        ,                           '  ccnts,  aud   they  had  a   greater  demand  for  them   at  that 

let.'Cnr.Vd  fr        7/.     fi.°      "^"''  ^'*  ^""^  number  of  pul-  price  than   I   could  supply.    At  the  time  this   article  was 

lets  varied  from  72  to  63.  ^,itt^„  I  charged  70  cents  retail  to  persons  who  called  at 

I  he  sale  of  the  culls,  non-layers,  reduced  the  feeding  the  house  for  eggs.    I  might  add  that  the  eggs  are  quite 

cost  and  did  not  alifect  the  egg  production  to  an  appre-  uniform  in  size  and  there  are  not  many  cull  eggs  to  be 

ciable  extent.    The  average  monthly  cost  for  each  chicken  used  at  home. 

proved  to  be  13  cents.    This  included  litter.  After  the  November  and  December  laying  is  finished 

TTC/./1  171^.-*  •     T  •  i.^    .1-     T.  „      .  and   the    egg   yield   decreases,   watch   for   the   drones   and 

Used  Electric  Lights  the  Following  Year  sell  them  oflf.    Every  chicken  you  sell  now  saves  27  cents 

November  1,   1916,  I  had  87  pullets  and  21   yearlings  a  month  for  feed. 
which  were  gradually  reduced  until  November   1     1917    1  Do  not  sell  the  birds  that  molt  in  May  for  you  will  re- 
had   19  yearlings  left,   October  molters                        '            '  £^'^'«  S^^^  from  them,  in  June,  July  and  August  when  other 
'^            '         >-^uci    aiuicers.  j^^^g  j^^^^g   ceased  laying-  and   prices   go   up  again.     Sell   the 

Electric  lip-ht-'!  wpro  nc^H   /1i..-;.,rv  *!,;„ j  July,    August   and   September    molters   and   keep    for   breed- 

fiil   nrrm,nf   tf^f     7    it             ounng  this  year  and  a  care-  mg  stock  the  birds  that  have  laid  from  October  to  October 

tul   account   kept   of  all   expenditures.     My   net   profit   per  without  molting. 

month  was  as  follows:  Of    course    everyone    has    a    dream    of    the    future,    and 

^Tr^•.^o^k<>,    ini«  mine  is  to  go  out  on  a  small  farm  near  a  large  city  where 

November,   1916  ^44  55  j    ^^n    retain    my    present    business    connections    except    for 

December,    1916   on  79  perhaps    three    months    in   the    summer.      By   using   a   small 

January     1917                                      A  -tT-  truck   going  to   and   from  my  home   I   shall   be  able  to  take 

P»K,-„,;.'„    1017 "I-''"  to  market  what  I  have  to  sell  and  haul  out  what  I  wish  to 

i'ebruary    1917  4I  99  transport  to  my  farm. 

March,  1917  4917  This    farm    will    produce   hay   in    addition   to    poultry   and 

April     1917                                       TT'iT  eggs  because  of  all  crops  hay  will   stand   the  most  chicken 

Mo„'iQi7      ''•'+'  manure.      Grass    needs    nitrogen,    especially    timothy,    so    I 

iviay,    lyi/    19  40  would   put   the  droppings   on   three   or   four  acres   and   grad- 

June,    1917   \7Kr\  ually  increase  the  pasture   until   It  embraced  half  my  farm 

Tulv    1917                             ,„  acreage.     There  is  little  extra  labor  needed  for  a  hay  crop 

jixiy,  '^i'—  ■ 36.86  in  the  spring  when  one's  whole  attention  is  needed  in  incu- 

AUgust,   191/   14  29  bating    and    brooding    chicks.      One    can    always    get    a   hay 

September,   1917                                                                    ^^'ir  crop   harvested    on    shares   and    when    you    have    to    plow    up 

OrtnKpr    1017       40.J0  your  rich  pasture  land  you  will  find  the  ground  in  splendid 

v.^ctoDer,   lyi/   2.52  condition  for  a  crop  of  corn. 

This   idea  of  a  combination   hay  and   poultry   farm  was 

ipAAv  Ao  suggested    to    me    by    a    poultry     farm    I    ran     across    near 

$447.48  Dorset,  Vt.     It  has  a  gravel  soil  with  springs  forming  little 

During  this  time  the  electric  1icrht=  .-^^f  .^^  tfioc    t-i,  streams  running  down  the  mountain  sides  and  through  the 

epE'  vielH  hv  n^r^nft^o           s'ectr  c  lights  cost  me  $6.95.  The  fiat  meadow.     Ten  years  ago  this  farm  was  in  a  run-down 

egg  yield  by  months  was  as  follows:  condition,    but    last    summer   when    paying   a   visit    there    I 

November,    1916                                                                                  ^A/^^  found    them    cutting   and   storing,    instead   of   the   scant   ton 

Tit^ri^mUar-     IQK    I'+tH  per  acre  which  used  to  be  the  yield  ten  years  ago,  two  tons 

i^ccemoer     lyio    2070  per  acre.     The  increase  was  due  to  the  practice  of  putting 

January,    1917    IR'iri  the  poultry  droppings  on  the  pasture. 

February     1917                                               i?or  At   present   it  would   not  pay   me   to   keep   breeders   and 

TiA-^^u     ini7         *■'■'■'  incubate  eggs,   but  on  a   large   poultry   farm   this   would   be 

r     -1    'in,y   1449  the   natural   thing. 

April,    191/    loQi  I.,ike  others  I  have  read  Uncle  Sam's  appeal  for  a  great- 
May    1917                                            11AC  'y    increased    production    of    poultry    and    eggs    this    spring 

■f,,„.'    1017  1145  and   summer.      I   hope   that   the   writing  of   this   article   will 

T   1    '  ,X,i   1327  Kive    many    persons    the    courage    to    invest    in    one    or    two 

July,    1917   1?^'  hundred     day-old    chicks,     for    by     following     my     method. 

Aii£>-ii<;t     1017                                „,":  adapting   it   to    the    conditions   they   must   meet,   I   am   sure 

^uguit     lyi/         gg4  ^j^gy    ^^^    ^.^    materially    in    increasing    the    production    of 

September,    191/   329  eggs,    while    in    spite    of    the    high    prices    that    prevail    for 

October,    1917                                                                                     '   1  ic  poultry   feeds,   they   can  make  an   excellent  profit,   have   all 

'^-'  the  eggs  and  poultry  they  need  for  their  own  use  and  have 

enough   to   sell  to   show   a  good  profit,   and   this  can  all   be 

14  541  done    on    a    small    back    lot    with     a     small     investment    for 

A       •■    ,r^,>,    ,  .          .      .                                                             '  equipment. 

April,  1917,  I  bought  514  day-old  chicks  which  cost  me      

$107.67,  including  the  expressage.   I  lost  about  ten  per  ce"n  Vey,r^^^°ry%lS^%sil'lr^.%^'JT^   "   reprinted   from    the 


"Lighting  System"  For  Increasing  Egg  Production 

TO  BE  USED  AS  A  MATTER  OF  COURSE,  DURING  THE  "DARK  DAYS"  OF  FALL  AND 
WINTER— HENS  ARE  EGG-MACHINES— THEY  NEED  "TIME"  AS  WELL  AS  MATER- 
IALS FOR  ADDING  TO  THEIR  OUTPUT  —  ARE  NOT  LIMITED  NOR  CONTROLLED 
BY  MAN'S  CALENDAR  —AN  INEXPENSIVE  PLAN  THAT  NEXT  FALL  AND  WINTER 
SHOULD  BE  PUT  TO  THE  TEST  BY  THOUSANDS  OF  AMERICAN  POULTRY  KEEPERS 


B,  J.  B.  ROE,  Pa 


a/.,  andE.  C.  WALDORF.  M.  D.,  Buffalo.  N.  Y. 


zs 


S2: 


readers.  No  poultry  keeper  who  sees  this  report  should  pass 
it  by  without  getting-  the  full  value  of  its  message.  All  are 
well  aware  that  fresh  eggs  marketed  for  table  use  bring 
the  highest  prices  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  each  season,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  at  this  time  they  ARE  SCARCE— that 
but  few  are  laid  in  the  short,  cold  days  when  fowls  are  com- 
paratively inactive. 

Dr.  E.  C.  Waldorf,  Buffalo,  N.  T.,  demonstrated  back  in 
1889-1892,  that  by  lengthening  the  feeding  and  digestive  day 
of  the  ordinary  hen,  she  can  readily  be  induced  to  average 
more  than  one  egg  per  day,  extending  over  a  considerable 
period,  and  now  a  California  Barred  Rock  breeder  has 
stumbled  on  the  fact  that  by  lengthening  the  short,  dark 
days  of  the  fall  and  winter  months  he  enabled  his  hens  to 
double  and  treble  their  egg  yield  during  this  season  ot 
scarcity  and  high  prices. 

And  the  plan  employed  by  him  and  by  his  poultry- 
keeping  neighbors  is  inexpensive  and  easy  of  adoption,  de- 
cidedly so.  Extensive  egg  plants  on  the  Pacific  Coast  fol- 
lowed his  lead  and  now  report  equally  favorable  results  on 
a  large  scale.  Next  fall  and  winter  literally  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  other  poultry  keepers  throughout  the  land 
should  adopt  this  low-cost  plan  and  put  it  to  the  test,  m 
their  own  interests. — Editor. 

AS  STATED  in  September,  1919,  issue  of  R.  P.  J., 
page  117,  Mr.  J.  B.  Roe,  Pasadena,  California, 
breeder  of  Barred  Rocks,  visited  R.  P.  J.  offices 
while  on  an  extended  eastern  trip  in  quest  of  Bronze  Tur- 
keys. Part  of  our  interview  with  Mr.  Roe  was  of  such 
vital  and  timely  interest  to  Poultry 
Culture  in  this  country,  especially  as 
regards  fall  and  winter  egg  production, 
that  we  had  a  stenographer  take  down 
his  statements,  which  were  substan- 
tially as   follows: 

"I  put  in,  in  1915,  what  I  now  call 
the  'lighting  system.'  My  reason  was 
that  in  showing  birds  on  dark  days  or 
in  the  evening  to  prospective  custom- 
ers, I  like  to  take  them  right  from  the 
roosts  and  with  the  houses  lighted  I 
could  do  this.  My  roosts  are  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  I  put  in  twenty-five 
candle  power  National  Mazda  lights, 
one  to  every  twelve  feet. 

"For  flock  matings  for  egg  produc- 
tion, I  have  two  long,  continuous 
houses,  each  one  hundred  feet  long  by 
sixteen  feet  wide.  These  houses  are 
divided  by  partitions  into  four  sections 
and  each  section  into  two  apartments. 
In  the  center  of  each  12x16  foot  space, 
I  have  a  light.  I  keep  about  fifty  birds 
to  every  twelve  foot  space,  but  this 
number  depends  on  the  birds  I  have 
and  what  use  I  am  making  of  them. 
There  are  no  separate  scratch  sheds. 
Sometimes  for  every  twelve  feet  I 
have  seventy-five  or  more  birds. 

"The  window  in  each  twelve  foot 
space  is  about  8x4  feet.  I  have  yards 
in  front  of  these  houses,  leading  out 
one  hundred  feet — every  yard  having 
three  orange  trees  in  it.  Under  the 
second  tree  from  the  house  there  is  a 


water  fountain,  with  a  continuous  drip,  and  I  also  keep 
water  in  the  house.  In  front  of  these  yards,  opening  out 
of  them  is  an  alfalfa  field,  into  which  the  fowls  are  turned 
to  get  green  food. 

"Under  my  plan  a  house  one  hundred  feet  long  has  a 
capacity  of  four  to  six  hundred  layers.  At  present  I  have 
about  three  hundred  fowls  to  the  house  and  as  soon  as 
the  mating  season  is  over  I  shall  take  the  males  out  and 
put  them  by  themselves,  so  that  the  eggs  for  market  will 
have  no  germs.  All  special  matings  are  trap-nested  during 
the  breeding  season.  I  have  thirteen  special  mating  yards, 
besides  the  two  large  houses. 

How  "Lighting  System"  is  Operated 

"In  the  two  long  laying  houses,  before  described,  I 
turn  on  the  the  twenty-five  candle  power  electric  lights  at 
4:30  in  the  morning,  when  it  is  not  day-light  at  that  hour, 
that  is,  duiing  the  fall  and  winter.  The  fowls  get  down 
immediately  and  go  to  scratching  in  the  litter  for  grain 
left  over  from  the  night  before.  This  keeps  them  warm 
and  they  do  not  get  cold.  They  do  not  get  enough  feed 
in  this  way  early  in  the  morning  to  fill  up  and  later  they 
go   to   the   egg  mash   hoppers,   which   are   kept   filled.     I 


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HOW    WELL    THE    "GENERAL,    PURPOSE"     BREEDS    LAY    THROUGHOUT 
THE  YEAR,  AS  COMPARED  WITH  LEGHORNS 
The  data  used   in   preparing   this   graph   included  weekly   reports   (annual 


Vineland, 
can    Contest, 
regard    to    it. 


xth    Annual    Stor 
.,   Contest    (year   1916-1917)  ,      __ 

Newark,    Delaware.      The    original    drawing    and    the 
were    set   forth    in    a    thesis   by    Markus    A.    Canfield.    J 


used  on  face  of  the  graph,  includes  Plymouth  Rocks,  Wyandottes  and  Rhode 
Island  Reds.  The  lines  represent  monthly  percentages  of  production  for  a 
complete  year,  starting  with  19.1  per  cent  tor  the  heavy  breeds  in  November, 
running  up  to  63.1  per  cent  in  April  and  finishing  with  28.7  per  cent  in 
October.  The  Leghorns  started  with  24.8  per  cent  in  November,  reached 
69.3  per  cent  in  May,  and  dropped  to  12.8  per  cent  in  October.  A  study  of 
this  chart  will  readily  show  the  reader  what  to  expect  in  egg  production, 
without  the  help  of  artificial  light,  throughout  the  production  year,  starting 
November  1st  and  ending  October  31st  following.  It  shows  that  the  three 
general  purposei  breeds  here  mentioned  laid  somewhat  more  eggs  November 
15th  to  March  15th  on  the  average;  that  these  three  breeds  laid  considerably 
fewer  eggs  March  15th  to  the  folowing  September  15th,  and  that  they  again 
excelled   the   Leghorns   "--"   ' "  — '    """'     "      "'  "    "~'    ' ' 


,rhat  from   Sept.   15th   to   Nov.    1st   following. 


26 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 


feed  green  stuff  at  noon.  Oats  and  barley  are  sown  in 
the  yards  every  week,  the  fowls  eating  them  at  will. 

"Nothing  more  is  fed  until  6  o'clock  each  evening, 
which  is  my  feeding  time  the  year  round.  In  the  late 
afternoon  the  lights  are  turned  on  again,  before  the  fowls 
start  for  the  roosts  and  are  left  burning  until  8  o'clock. 
The  birds  feed  from  6  o'clock  to  about  7:30,  which  leaves 
them  half  an  hour  to  get  to  their  roosts  before  the  lights 
are  turned  off  at  night.  They  get  all  they  want  to  eat  by 
the  time  they  go  to  roost. 

"The  litter  consists  of  mill  shavings  about  four  to 
five  inches  deep  in  each  scratching  apartment.  In  the 
front  part  of  the  house,  enclosing  a  space  about  8x12  feet, 
a  twelve-inch  board  stands  on  edge  to  form  a  scratching 
pen.  Board  extends  down  the  center  of  each  section.  The 
sun  shines  in  here  (Pasadena)  in  winter  time  and  a  cur- 
tain is  provided  to  drop  down  for  shade  in  summer. 

"Sciatch  feed  only  is  put  in  the  litter.  I  use  mille*, 
maize,  Egyptian  corn  and  Kafir  corn.  In  the  winter  sea- 
son we  use  Indian  corn.  The  fowls  fill  up  every  morning 
on  grain  left  in  the  litter  over  night,  before  they  go  to 
the  laying  mash  in  hoppers. 

"MY  PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  HAS  DEMON- 
STRATED THAT  THE  EGG  PRODUCTION  CAN  BE 
INCREASED  IN  FALL  AND  WINTER  FULLY 
THREE  HUNDRED  PER  CENT  BY  THE  USE  OF 
LIGHTS  AS   HERE   DESCRIBED. 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  B.  Martin,  Downey,  Calif.,  breeders 


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AN    R.    P.    J.    GRAPH    WHICH    SHOWS    "HOW    NOT   TO   MAKE    MONET" 


Probably  that  is 
is  there.  The  lines  : 
the  600  Leg-horns  in 
ing-  and  Laying  Coi 
commercial    Leghor 


1  back-handed  way  of  putting  it,  but  the  truth — the  FACT 
n  this  graph  represent  the  production,  in  percentages,  of 
the  first  Vineland.  N.  J.  (1916-1917)  International  Breed- 
itest,  contrasted  with  the  production  of  the  thirty-six 
plants    for    the    same    year    in    the    same    state — this    data 


being  secured  from  the  New  Jersey  Survey  Bulletin,  No.  329,  which 
has  been  reviewed  at  length  in  these  pages,  see  the  two  articles  in  May  and 
June  1919  issues,  entitled,  "Poultry  Farming  a  Profitable  Industry  in  New 
Jersey."  The  contest  pens,  it  will  be  noted  by  this  graph,  started  with  24. S 
per  cent  production  in  November,  reached  69.3  per  cent  in  May,  and  dropped  to 
12.8  per  cent  in  October.  Now,  how  about  the  meant-to-be  money-making  com- 
mercial plants  in  the  Vineland  egg  farm  district,  so  called?  These  thirty-six 
commercial  farms  secured  a  production  of  only  10  per  cent  in  November, 
reached  44.2  per  cent  in  April  and  dropped  to  9.6  per  cent  in  October.  Perhaps 
New  Jersey  commercial  farm  men  ought  not  feel  overly  downhearted,  however, 
because  an  investigator  of  the  subject  recently  stated,  on  what  we  believe  to 
be  good  authority,  "New  Jersey  has  an  average  production  of  at  least  ten  eggs 
per  hen  per  year  MORE  than  other  states."  Our  point  is  that  the  wide  area 
BETWEEN  these  two  lines  in  the  graph  means  MONEY — is  simply  that  much 
"gold"  that  the  commercial  egg-  farm  men  of  highly  favored  New  Jersey  (as 
to  climate,  soil,  etc.)  ARE  NOT  GETTING  by  the  use  of  their  present  methods. 
This  further  emphasizes  the  value  of  egg-laying  contests  as  a  source  of  valuable 
and  much  needed  facts  and  general  information,  obtained  at  public  expense — 
from  the  tax  payer's  money — for  the  use  of  poultrymen  who  wish  to  make  all 
they   can  from   poultry   and   egg  production,   on   the   basis   of   private   enterprise. 


of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns,  as  a  result  of  my  experience, 
installed  the' lighting  system  last  fall  and  Mr.  Martin  told 
me  recently  that  their  egg  yield  within  ten  days  to  three 
weeks  increased  from  one  and  one-half  cases  to  seven 
cases  per  week. 

"E.  E.  Emerson,  well-known  poultry  judge  at  Bur- 
bank,  California,,  also  a  breeder  of  White  Leghorns,  carry- 
ing about  6,000  hens,  put  in  his  lighting  system  last  No- 
vember. His  egg  yield  increased  from  about  two  cases  to 
eight  and  ten  cases  within  a  short  time. 

"Messrs.  Swanson  and  Johnson,  San  Gabriel,  Calif., 
who  carry  between  10,000  and  12,000  S.  C.  White  Leg- 
horn hens,  also  put  in  the  lighting  system  last  fall  and  Mr. 
Swanson  told  me  lately  that  whether  it  was  this  system 
or  something  else,  their  egg  yield  last  fall  and  winter  more 
than  doubled  soon  after  it  was  put  in — in  fact  was  nearly 
three  times  greater  than  the  previous  year. 

"Getting  down  to  actual  practice  and  results,  my  view 
of  the  matter  is  this:  it  takes  a  healthy  hen  just  about 
so  long  to  convert  a  given  amount  of  the  right  kinds  of 
food  material  into  a  normal  sized  egg.  In  the  fall  and 
winter,  if  left  to  ordinary  conditions,  she  has  only  eight 
and  one-half  to  nine  hours  in  which  to  do  this,  whereas- 
by  the  lighting  system,  here  described,  I  furnish  her  fif- 
teen to  fifteen  and  one-half  hours.  That,  I  believe,  is  the 
reason  for  the  increased  egg  production  where  the  lighting 
system  is  installed.  Thus  far  it  has  proved  successful  in 
every  case  I  know  about,  including  the  three  examples  I 
have  just  told  you  of. 

"I  have  this  lighting  system 
throughout  both  of  the  one  hundred 
foot  houses.  It  is  not  expensive.  A 
twenty-five  watt  Mazda  lamo  will  not 
consume  as  much  'juice'  as  a  fifty 
watt  ordinary  incandescent  lamp. 
When  these  Mazda  lamps  barn  out, 
the  average  electric  light  company 
will  replace  them  free  of  charge  with 
the  old  style  of  light,  providing  the 
consumer  will  stand  for  it. 

"I  mix  my  own  mash — that  is,  the 
egg  mash.    Out  with  us  the   Coulson 
egg  mash  is  popularly  used,  and  with 
]     Leghorns  gives   excellent  results,  but 
;     I  have  one  of  my  own  that  is   espe- 
1     cially  suitable  for  Barred  Rocks.    For 
J     the   Rocks  we   add   more  wheat  bran 
-|     to  the   mash   and  use   less  meat  pro- 
;     ducts.     Our   idea    is    to    fill    them    up. 
1     but  not  get  them  too  fat. 
I         "I   feed   grain   rather   sparingly  and 
i     make    my    Barred    Rocks    scratch    in 
T     the  litter  for  every  particle  of  it.    At 
J      night    is    the    only    time    they   get   all 
the  ,s:rain   tliey  want  to   eat.  but  they 
have   already  filled   up   on   egg   mash. 
In   the    morning    they    (ire   ready    to 
jump      right     into      the     litter     again 
after  the   grain   that   is   left   from  the 
night  before.    If  they  were  to  get  all 
the   grain   they   wanted   in   the   morn- 
ing,   they    would     stand    around,     but 
after  getting  a  little  grain  they  go  to 
the  mash  hoppers.    The  exercise  and 
shavings    keep   them   warm    and    they 
never     have    colds.    The    houses     are 
nnen    in    the    front   all    the    time— the 
whole   front   being   boarded   up   about 
three   feet  from  the  bottom." 


i^'xnhm^rj.'z 


j'iLi^'L^ilLjtihnLt'^fitVnii 


s?i- 


The  Hen  As  An  Egg  Machine 

Tlie  results  above  reported  are 
based  on  the  theory,  on  the  FACT 
that  the  domestic  hen  is  an  egg- 
machine;  also  on  the  fact  that  her 
ability  to  manufacture  eggs  is  not 
regulated  by  the  calendar,  nor  by 
(Continned    on    page    45) 


More  Evidence  of  Egg- Yield   Value  of  Lighting  System 

ONE  COMMERCIAL  EGG  PLANT  INTRODUCED  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTS  IN  LAY- 
ING HOUSE  AND  AVERAGE-EGG  YIELD  CLIMBED  FROM  154  TO  194  EGGS  IN 
TWO  SEASONS  —  IN  ANOTHER  PLANT  WHERE  LIG  HTS  WERE  INSTALLED 
EGG  PRODUCTION  SOON  ROSE  FROM  12  TO  80  PER  CENT  —  FIRST  PLANT 
GIVES  CREDIT  ALSO  TO  BREEDING  FROM  HIGH  PRODUCERS  -  BOTH  AGREE 
LIGHTS  CAUSE  MAXIMUM  EGG  YIELD  IN  MONTHS  WHEN  PRICES  OF 
MARKET    EGGS    ARE    HIGHEST  —  BIG    HELP    TO    COMMERCIAL     PLANTS 

By  MESSRS.  M.  E.  ATKINSON,  Haliy-wood,  Tf^ath.,  and  E.  E.  EMERSON,  Burlani,  Caiif. 


HAVING  heard  that  Mr.  M.  E.  Atkinson,  manager 
of  the  Poultry  Department  of  Hollywood  Farm, 
Hollywood,  Washington,  had  been  using  electric 
lights  in  his  poultry  houses  and  that  as  a  result  he  had 
established  what  may  be  a  world  record  for  a  commercial 
flock  numbering  thousands  of  birds — in  this  case  about 
6,000 — which  last  year  laid  an  average  of  194  eggs  per 
hen,  we  asked  him  for  particulars.  By  use  of  the  "lighting 
system"  a  much  larger  proportion  of  these  eggs  than  usual 
were  laid  in  the  high-price  months  of  November,  Decem- 
ber and  January. 

Mr.   Atkinson   replied   as   follows: 

"In  answer  to  your  letter  of  re- 
cent date  will  say  that  we  have 
tised  electric  lights  in  the  houses 
containing  pullets  since  January, 
1916.  We  start  our  fiscal  year  Sep- 
tember 1st.  Last  year  our  pullet 
flock  of  6,000  birds  averaged  194 
eggs.  The  previous  year  when  we 
used  the  lights  in  January,  Febru- 
ary, also  a  part  of  March,  they  aver- 
aged 179  eggs.  The  year  before 
when  no  lights  were  used,  the  aver- 
age was  154  eggs.  This  year  we 
have  6,700  pullets  and  we  believe 
they  will  average  over  200  eggs. 
However,  we  give  our  breeders  more 
credit  for  th"e  increase  than  we  do 
the  lights,  because  each  year  our 
trap-nest  records  are  better  and 
consequently  we  have  had  more 
liigh  producers  to  use  in  the  breed- 
ing pens. 

"We  believe  that  if  we  can  per- 
suade market  poultrymen  to  use 
males  from  high  producing  hens  it 
will  do  the  poultry  industry  more 
good  than  any  other  one  thing. 

"Just  what  credit  for  the  increased 
egg  production  we  should  give  the 
artificial  lights  in  the  poultry  house, 
we  are  unprepared  to  say  because 
since  jising  lights  we  have  never 
■kept  a  pen  of  pullets  without  the. 
lights,  as  a  check  pen,  but  we  can 
compare  our  records  with  records 
made  by  our  birds  at  egg  laying 
contests  where,  we  understand,  no 
lights  were  used. 

"For  instance,  we  entered  a  pen  at  Mountain  Grove, 
Mo.,  in  the  191S-1916  Contest,  which  laid  1101  eggs,  an 
average  of  220.2  eggs.  One  individual  in  the  pen  laid  275 
eggs  and  another  262  marketable  eggs. 

"At  the  Philadelphia  North  American  Contest  at 
Newark,    Del.,    November    1,    1916-October   31,    1917,    our 


tTAKTED   EARLY   IIV    ERIE   COUNTY, 
NEW  YORK 

IN  an  article  by  R.  S.  Moseley.  East 
Aurora,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  at  that 
time  Extension  Instructor  and  Field 
Prospect  Supervisor,  Department  of 
Poultry  Husbandry,  New  York  State 
CoHe.se  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  which  was  en- 
titled, "The  Cornell  Poultry  Project  is 
a  Real  Success",  occurred  the  following 
reference  to  the  use  of  "artificial  light 
to  prolong  the  day." 

"The  use  of  lights  in  hen  houses  to 
lengtlien  the  hens'  working  day  has 
been  adopted  by  practically  all  the 
members  of  the  'Project'  in  the 
county,  and  over  100  plants  in  the 
county,  outside  of  the  'Project',  are 
using  lights  at  the  present  time. 
Electricity,  natural  gas,  kerosene 
lamps,  gasoline  lanterns,,  and  acety- 
lene gas  are  all  used.  Two  methods 
of  operating  the  lights  are  used  in 
the  'Project'  at  the  present  time — 
from  5:00  to  6:00  a.  m.  until  day- 
light, and  from  dusk  to  8:00  p.  m. ; 
also  at  night  only,  in  which  case  lights 
are  kept  going  until  9:00  p.  m.,  depend- 
ing upon  each  farmer's  conditions.  Un- 
der, the  first  system  hens  are  fed  at  a 
regular  time  in  the  morning  and  hard 
grain  at  6:00  to  7:00  p.  m.,  and  under 
the  latter  system  at  8:00  p.  m.  Dry 
mash   is   before   them   all   day. 

"The  lights  have  the  effect  of  giving 
the  hens  an  April  length  of  day  and 
thus  they  have  a  chance  to  eat  more 
than  they  naturally  would  and  gain 
more  exercise,  which  is  like  spring 
conditions. 

"The  'Project'  has  been  using  lights 
for  three  winters  and  it  has  been  a 
help  to  poultrymen  in  getting 
-eeding  birds  ar< 
only  from  Feb- 
ruary 20th,  in  order  to  start  them  up 
so  as  to  secure  early  hatching  eggs. 
Many  things  enter  into  the  successful 
management  of  flocks  under  lights 
which  space  does  not  permit  me  to 
mention.  Cornell  Experiment  Station 
is  working-  on  the  use  of  lights  this 
vear.  The  records  from  the  'Project' 
show  that  artificial  light  has  increased 
winter  production  from  30  to  60  per 
cent  over  fowls  kept  under  natural 
conditions." 


pen  of  five  birds  laid  1,166  eggs,  an  average  of  233.2.  One 
pullet  laid  265  eggs,  another  252,  and  still  another  251. 
As  stated  above,  it  is  our  understanding  that  no  lights 
were  used  there. 

"We  have  many  hens  with  better  twelve  months'  rec- 
ords than  these.  There  is  one  th?t  laid  307  eggs,  another 
304  eggs  and  another  298  eggs  last  year,  but  we  must  re- 
member that  the  eastern  climate  is  colder  in  winter  and 
warm  in  summer  and  that  the  contests  run  365  days 
from  a  given  date  while  at  home  we  start  the  record  with 
the  first  egg  laid  in  a  trap-nest. 

Where   Artificial   Lights   Score 

"There  is  one  important  thing  for 
which  artificial  lights  must  receive 
full  credit,  namely,  that  by  their  use 
we  get  the  highest  egg  production 
in  November,  December  and  Janu- 
ary. We  produce  more  eggs  in 
these  three  winter-  months  than  we 
do  in  any  other  three  consecutive 
-months  of  the  year,  and  at  that 
time  market  prices  are  the  highest. 
By  the  use  of  lights,  pullets  give 
their  maximum  yield  earlier  and  the 
spring  yield  is  less  than  if  no  lights 
are  used.  .  ..  " 

"Many  of  the  pullets  that  are 
kept  under  lights  molt  in  the  spring, 
but  the  better  they  are  bred,  the 
less  they  molt.  Am  enclosing  copies 
of  pen  records  that  we  keep  where 
the  pullets  are  not  trap-nested.  Only 
900  are  trap-nested  each  year.  We 
take  a  few  from  each  mating  each 
hatch  and  trap-nest  them  in  order 
to  keep  a  check  on  our  matings  and 
to  give  us  the  highest  producers 
from  which  to  breed  our  males. 

"We  brood  each  season  about 
16,000  chicks  and  sell  all  the  stock 
when  they  commence  to  molt  in  the 
fall  except  the  cream,  which  birds 
are  kept  for  breeders  for  ourselves 
or  for  sale  as  breeders. 

"Pen  5,  whose  record  I  am  send- 
ing you,  is  one  of  our  four  best 
pens,  while  Pen  6  is  one  of  our  two 
lowest.  Notice,  please,  the  date  they 
were  hatched,  the  date  they  were 
moved  to  the  laying  houses  and  that  both  were  first  choice. 
"By  'first  choice'  we  mean  this:  We  rear  all  our 
chicks  in  room  brooders,  the  rooms  being  14x40  feet — 
about  1,000  chicks  to  a  room.  The  cockerels  are  re- 
moved at  an  early  age  and  the  pullets  are  left  in 
the    house    to    mature.     When    they    are    in  a  fair    lay, 

27 


28 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


we  go  through  and  select  those  that  are  laying,  or 
about  to  begin  laying  and  remove  them  to  a  lay- 
ing house.  These  wc  call  first  choice.  The  backward 
ones  then  come  on  faster  and  when  they  are  matured  we 
make  another  selection.  It  is  our  aim  to  cull  our  flocks 
before  they  go  to  the  laying  houses,  not  afterward.  Pen 
6,  you  will  note,  never  reached  the  degree  of  laying  that 
No.  5  did.  They  were  in  a  SO  per  cent  lay  when  they  were 
moved  and  some  of  them  started  a  partial  molt  early  and 
as  they  came  through,  others  started.  It  would  be  no 
surprise  if  they  produce  as  much  gross  in  dollars  and 
cents  at  the  end  of  the  year  as  Pen  S.  We  do  not  expect 
any  of  our  pens  to  drop  below  SS  per  cent  in  egg  produc- 
tion. After  a  partial  rest  in  the  spring  when  ordinary 
birds  are  laying  the  heaviest,  our  birds  are  ready  to  take 


in  declaring  that  it  increases  the  winter  egg  yield;  also 
they  are  agreed  that  lights  should  not  be  used  in  the  pens 
where  the  breeding  stock  is  kept.  Following  is  more  testi- 
mony in  its  favor,  this  time  from  a  California  breeder  of 
S.  C.  White  Leghorns,  representing  the  firm  of  Emerson 
and  Mumford,  Burbank,  California. — Editor.) 

t'TN  REPLY  to  your  inquiry  regarding  the  lighting 
system  as  used  in  California  poultry  houses,  will 
say  that  I  am  pleased  to  tell  our  experience  to  the  read- 
ers of  R.  P.  J.,  hoping  that  it  will  help  them  in  these 
strenuous  war  times  to  solve  the  problem  of  profitable 
poultry  keeping  in  spite  of  the  high  cost  of  feed. 

"When  the  subject  of  installing  an  electric  lighting 
system  in  the  laying  houses  to  increase  the  egg  produc- 
tion was  brought  to  my  attention  some  years  ago,  I  con- 
fess I  was,  as  many  others  are,  somewhat  skeptical  about 
its  efficiency.  One  of  the  objections  raised  was  that  it 
would   tend   to    overwork   our   'egg  machines',   and   many 


HOLIiYWOOD  FARM 


HOLIiYWOOD  FARM 

-1917  POULTRY  DEPT. 

House — 4.  Pen — 5. 


Hatched— March   15th 
Brooders — 8. 

Moved — September   11th 
Choice— First 

Pen 
Cleaned. 

Egg  Production 

1 

1 

Month 

111 

1 

s 

II 

Is 

1 

August    

1            1 

September    

30 

211 

305 

3340 

55.0 

5 

206 

305       5701 
305       6202 

65.6 

28 
27 

158 
214 

November    

3 

172 

December    

January    

1 

237 

304  6723 

305  5881 

71.1 
62.2 

12 
2 

225 



28 

141 

18 

203 

302       5167 

61.1 
58.1 

-■i 

167 
193 

March    

30 





17 

144 

299 

5392 

up  the  good  work  when  the  others  drop  off,  and  so  we 
catch  the  higher  market  again. 

"We  are  not  yet  prepared  to  say  that  the  use  of  arti- 
ficial lights  in  the  laying  house  will  increase  the  number 
of  eggs  laid  in  twelve  months,  but  the  use  of  lights  will 
certainly  increase  the  earning  power  of  each  hen  by 
causing  her  to  lay  in  the  seasons  of  the  year  when  her 
eggs  will  bring  the  highest  price. 

"We  turn  the  lights  on  at  5:00  A.  M.  and  off  at  day- 
light, turning  them  on  again  at  dusk  and  off  at  7:00  P. 
M.  We  do  not  believe  they  should  be  used  in  the  houses 
where  the  breeding  stock  is  kept.  The  breeders  should  be 
permitted  to  rest  during  the  winter  in  order  to  give  the 
best  results  in  strong,  fertile  eggs  during  the  hatching 
season." 

We  are  reproducing  above  the  two  cards  sent  us  by 
Mr.  Atkinson  in  order  that  our  readers  may  see  the  data 
they  have  found  it  advisable  to  collect  and  a  sample  of 
the  egg  yield  of  their  flocks  in  the  winter  months.  Read 
also  what  Mr.  E.  E.  Emerson  has  to  say  herewith  about 
using  artificial  lights. 

CALIFORNIA  PLANT  USES  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTS 
WITH  MARKED  SUCCESS 

By   E.   E.   EMERSON,    Burbank,   California. 


Hatched— April  5th. 
Brooders— 11-14. 

Moved — September  25th 
Choice — First 

Pen 
Cleaned. 

Egg  Production 

a) 

Q 

s 

& 

Month 

kS3   iS 

1 

August    

1 

September    

u_ 

131 

309 

630 

34.0 

October    

26 

225 

309 

5776 

60.3 

2 

113 

November    

244 

309 

6702 

72.3 

195 

December    

252 

308 

6951 

72.8 

203 

January    

244 

305 

6713 

71.0 

208 

February    

222 

303 

4929 

65.5 

21 

March    

22 
5 

201 

303 

5461' 

58.1 

151 

really  thought  they  would  not  hold  up  in  the  year's  pro- 
duction. 

"It  stands  to  reason  that  when  a  hen  sits  on  a  roost 
sixteen  consecutive  hours  out  of  each  twenty-four  without 
food  or  water,  there  is  much  more  danger  of  a.  lowered 
vitality  from  lack  of  exercise  and  the  long  hours  without 
food  than  there  is  of  their  being  overworked  when  they 
are  aroused  at  an  early  hour.  One  of  the  strongest  argu- 
ments in  its  favor  is  that  the  lights  are  turned  on  at  the 
coldest  hour  in  the  morning  and  the  hens  immediately  be- 
come active  and  avoid  being  chilled  or  standing  huddled 
in  the  corner  in  the  half  light  of  the  early  morning. 

"It  was  not  until  we  put  in  a  commercial  plant  in  con- 
nection with  the  fancy  that  we  really  became  interested 
and  decided  to  install  the  system  as  an  experiment  in  one 
section  of  the  utility  division  of  our  plant.  This  laying 
house  is  16  feet  wide  by  120  feet  in  length  and  is  divided 
into  six  compartments,  each   16x20  feet. 

"One  hundred  pullets  were  placed  in  each  division 
and  we  had  a  50-watt  Mazda  light  placed  in  each  section 
in  such  a  position  that  the  mash  bins  were  well  lighted. 
In  this  house  the  bins  are  in  front  and  the  lights  were 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  roof.  They  were  turned  on  by 
the  ringing  of  an  alarm  on  a  Big  Ben  clock. 

"We  began  by  getting  the  birds  up  a  half  hour  earlier 
than  usual  and  gradually  increased  the  time  until  we  had 
them  out  at  4:00  o'clock. 

"The  floors  of  the  houses  are  covered  with  straw  in 
which  a  little  grain  is  scattered  at  night  after  the  birds 
have  gone  to  roost.  The  moment  the  lights  are  turned 
(Continued  on   page  45) 


Influence  of  "Illumination"  on  Production  of  Winter  Eggs 

REPORT  OF  ADDRESS  ON  ABOVE  TIMELY  SUBJECT  GIVEN  BY  PROF.  JAMES 
E.  RICE,  AT  FIRST  CONVENTION  OF  NATIONAL  WAR  EMERGENCY  POUL- 
TRY FEDERATION.  CHICAGO,  JULY  16-18  —  DOES  NOT  DO  JUSTICE  TO  THE 
SPEAKER  (NOTES  WERE  MADE  MOSTLY  IN  DARK,  WHILE  LANTERN  SLIDE 
MACHINE  WAS  OPERATING)  BUT  NUMEROUS  POINTS  ARE  HERE  SET 
FORTH  WHICH  NO  DOUBT  WILL  INTEREST  AND  BENEFIT  MANY  R.  P.  J. 
STUDENTS    OF    THIS    PRACTICAL    METHOD    OF    INCREASING    EGG    PROFITS 


By  JAMES  E.  RICE,  Profcsior  of  Poultry  Huilandry,  Corn.U  Urn 
Reported  By  EDITOR  ofR.  P.  J. 


,,  llhaca,  N.  Y. 


PROF.  RICE  stated  that  special  illumination,  with 
the  object  of  lengthening  the  working  day,  or  egg 
production  day  of  the  domestic  fowl,  has  long  been 
used  experimentally,  but  only  recently  on  a  commercial 
basis.  He  expressed  the  belief  that  it  is  fraught  with 
important  results,  but  also  possibly  with  some  dangers; 
therefore  it  ought  to  be  studied  on  a  systematic  basis 
and  careful  records  should  be  kept  to  determine  how  far 
it  is  safe  to  go,  also  which  methods  will  produce  the  most 
profit  in  different  sections  of  the  country,  meaning,  as  a 
rulei^he  different  latitudes.     Said  he,  in  substance: 

"We  want  two  things:  liberal  or  maximum  practical 
egg  yield  during  the  season  of  high  prices  of  each  produc- 
tion year;  also  we  want  maximum  annual  production 
per  hen,  per  unit,  or  per  flock,  within  practical  limits." 
Continuing,  he  said,  in  substance:  "If  we  get  the  first, 
we  are  pretty  sure  to  get  the  second,  because  to  get  high 
egg  production  from  an  individual,  we  need  to  have  her 
begin  to  lay  early  in  her  production  year  and  keep  on 
laying  late  in  her  year. 

"Cold  storage,  that  splendid  modern  discovery  for  the 
conservation  of  surplus  foods  during  the  period  of  over- 
production, these  foods  to  be  used  in  the  time  of  scarce 
or  insufficient  production,  has  been  represented  to  us 
here  as  'the  great  equalizer'  in  supplying  our  markets  to 
advantage.  Poultrymen  to  date  have  suffered  a  great  han- 
dicap in  this  matter  of  'control  of  production.' 

"If  this  method  of  using  supplied  illumination,  thus 
lengthening  the  production  day  of  our  fowls,  checks  up 
as  promisingly  as  now  would  appear,  it  will  help  very 
materially  as  a  market  equalizer  in  the  case  of  eggs,  be- 
cause evidently  by  the  intelligent  use  of  this  method  we 
can  increase,  in  large  measure,  the  number  of  eggs  to  be 
laid  during  the  yearly  scarce  period — November  to  Febru- 
ary, inclusive — and  although  these  eggs,  once  laid,  will 
not  be  laid  again,  which  means  fewer  eggs  in  April,  May 
and  June,  our  poultrymen  will  be  far  better  off  in  cash 
returns  and  we  shall  have  helped  to  equalize  production 
and  also  will  be  meeting  the  market  demand  to  better 
advantage. 

"Anything  that  will  help  poultrymen  control  produc- 
tion, thus  to  regulate  the  supply  of  his  product  to  the 
market,  bids  fair  to  be  of  great  help  to  the  industry, 
especially  to  this  important  branch  of  it." 

The  speaker  then  took  up  other  matters  which  relate 
to  the  subject  of  increased  egg  production  per  fowl  and 
per  flock,  including  vigor,  stamina,  proper  care,  right 
feeds  and  feeding,  careful  culling  by  selection,  etc.,  then 
came  back  to  the  main  subject  under  discussion.  Said  he, 
in  substance: 

"In  this  country,  fowls  come  into  laying  from  south 
to  north,  much  as  strawberries  come  into  bearing.  In 
Australia  and  New  Zealand,  on  the  other  side  of  the  equa- 
tor, the  reverse  is  true.  Our  hens,  when  cold  weather 
comes  upon  them,  INSTEAD  of  going  into  a  dormant 
condition,  WILL  RESPOND  AT  ONCE,  in  the  way  of 
egg  yield.  TO  FAVORABLE  ENVIRONMENT.  If  we 
can  duplicate  or  maintain  suitable  conditions  as  to  bodily 
comfort,  length  of  day,  etc.,  they  will  go  on  producing.  In 
our  country  this  statement  refers  to  production  during 
November,  December,  January  and  February,  in  the  case 
of  fowls  that  are  old  enough  and  that  also  are  in  proper 
condition  as  to  health  and  surroundings. 


Early  Hatching  Necessary  For  Desired  Results 

"There  is  one  thing  we  surely  must  do  if  we  wish  to 
get  high  egg  production  in  the  fall  and  winter  months — 
we  must  hatch  early.  Without  these  earlyhatched  pullets 
we  cannot  obtain  the  desired  results,  regardless  of  whether 
we  do  or  do  not  use  special  illumination.  We  need  to  have 
our  new  crop  of  pullets  'come  into  production,'  so  to 
speak,  at  about  the  time  high  prices  prevail,  or  begin  to 
prevail  for  strictly  fresh  eggs  for  current  consumption. 
We  should  realize  that  these  pullets  will  come  into  pro- 
duction according  to  when  they  were  hatched.  Late- 
hatched,  immature  pullets  will  not,  CANNOT  give  us  the 
results  sought  in  this  case. 

"It  is  a  fact  well  known,  that  when  the  first  cold  days 
come,  all  laying  stops,  regardless  of  when  the  pullets  or 
older  fowls  started  to  lay.  This  is  a  fact  in  Nature  that 
we  must  overcome  the  best  we  can,  partly  by  breeding, 
but  largely  by  comfortable  quarters.  Health,  maturity, 
ample  flesh  and  bodily  heat  must  be  present  if  we  are  to 
get  the  egg  yield  we  want  in  this  period  of  high  prices. 
Calls  This  Kind  "Long  Distance  Layers" 

"It  will  pay  to  'select'  and  retain  the  late-fall  laying 
hens.  We  need  to  select  our  hens  by  their  ability  to  GO 
ON  LAYING  in  the  season  of  high-priced  eggs.  I  call 
them  'long  distance  layers.'  Under  favorable  conditions 
they  keep  right  on  laying  right  into  September,  October 
and  November.  As  a  rule,  these  hens  will  lay  at  both 
ends  of  the  period.  Be  jealous  of  this  kind  and  make  a 
practice  of  holding  on  to  them  for  laying  or  for  breeding 
purposes. 

"We  investigators  are  of  the  belief  that  such  factors 
exist  as  may  well  be  described  as  'principles  of  persistent 
laying.'  It  is  the  duty  of  students  and  investigators  to 
determine  what  they  are  and  to  prove  their  dependability. 

"To  date  it  has  been  disclosed  that  by  'intelligent 
selection'  and  physical  examination  we  can  pick  out 
the  most  vigorous  types  of  hens — those  that  should 
lay  the  most  eggs  in  a  given  period  of  time.  If  you 
will  investigate  this  method,  apply  it  to  your  fowls  and 
keep  records,  you  will  find  that  real  progress  has  been 
made.  Try  it  and  see!  Merely  by  a  casual  inspection  of 
your  fowls  and  the  weeding  out  of  those  who  LOOK 
INFERIOR,  as  regards  vigor,  size,  activity,  etc.,  you  can. 
as  a  rule,  increase  the  annual  egg  yield  one  dozen  eggs 
per  fowl,  no  matter  what  the  extent  of  the  flock,  and  this 
is  well  worth  while." 

The  speaker  next  came  direct  to  the  question  of  the 
benefits  of  artificial  illumination  to  increase  egg  produc- 
tion during  the  short  days  of  winter  in  the  north  tem- 
perate  zone.    Said  he,  in  substance: 

"We  might  seek  to  accomplish  the  same  purpose  by 
sending  our  birds  to  a  warmer  climate  during  the  winter 
months — down  south,  where  the  days  would  be  longer, 
also  warmer.  The  question  arises:  is  it  merely  a  coin- 
cidence that  our  period  of  largest  egg  production  matches 
the  period  of  longest  days— the  days  of  most  sunlight. 
This  may  not  be  exactly  true  but  the  facts  are  suggestive. 
There  appears  to  be  something  in  the  length  of  the  'sun 
day'  that  has  a  direct  bearing  on  egg  production  by  fowls 
in  domestication."  . 

Prof.  Rice  next  discussed  the  question  of  the  rela- 
tions of  illumination  and  nutrition,"  in  the  sense  that  by 
lengthening  the  natural  day  by  artificial  means  during  the 
late  fall  and  winter  months,  there  is  more  time  given  the 
fowls   to   eat  larger  quantities  and  digest  more  material 

29 


30 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


for  bodily  maintenance  and  egg  production.  The  facts 
of  course  are  that  each  fowl  must  have  sufficient  food  to 
maintain  her  physical  well-being  before  the  production  of 
eggs  can  be  assured.  A  short,  natural  day  cuts  off  her 
time  of  eating,  also  her  time  of  digestion  and  assimilation. 
In  mid-winter  it  sends  her  to  the  roost  at  four  to  half 
past  four  in  the  afternoon  and  she  remains  there  until 
seven,  half  past  seven  or  even  eight  o'clock  of  the  next  day. 

This  means  a  'long  fast"  iu  mid-winter,  with  small 
chance  for  her  to  obtain  and  digest  enough  food  to  pro- 
duce an  egg  a  day  or  every  other  day  at  this  time.  Fowls 
under  these  conditions  average  about  nine  hours  of 
eating,  as  compared  with  fifteen  hours  on  the  roost.  This 
difference  appears  to  be  too  great  for  profitable  egg  pro- 
duction, from  the  point  of  view  of  the  commercial  eg.g 
farmer.    Said  the  speaker,  in  substance: 

Twelve  Hours  of  Work,  Twelve  of  Rest 

"At  Cornell,  beginning  last  November  1st,  we  are 
conducting  10  experiments,  using  both  pullets  and  hens. 
We  are  using  'light'  with  the  object  of  comparing  results 
and  we  hope  to  draw  some  helpful  conclusions  as  to  the 
extent  that  lights  can  be  employed,  meaning  the  length 
of  time  they  should  be  used  during  each  twenty-four 
hours.  Over  fifty  commercial  breeders  in  New  York  state 
are  reporting  to  us  regularly  and  our  present  thought  is 
that  the  hens  do  their  best  functioning  on  a  twelve  and 
twelve  hour  basis — that  is,  twelve  hours  of-  work  and  feed- 
ing, with  twelve  hours  of  rest  on  the  roosts. 

"Evidently  it  is  largely  a  matter  of  'carrying  capacity.' 
Our  object  is  to  help  them  over  the  night  till  they  can 
again  feed  themselves.  We  feel  sure  that  hens  can  be 
over-stimulated  by  this  illumination,  'speed-up'  process, 
and  we  are  confident  also  that  this  method  should  not  be 
employed  with  fowls  kept  for  breeding  purposes.  Its 
benefits,  we  think,  will  be  limited  mainly,  if  not  wholly, 
to  the  production  of  e.ggs  for  market,  especially  during 
the  high-price  period  of  each  season. 

"We  suspect,  too,  that  as  a  result  of  these  experiments 
we  are  going  to  find  out  much  about  the  KINDS  OF 
FEED  that  will  carry  the  hens  through  the  night  to  best 
advantage  and  that  can  be  converted  into  the  most  eggs, 
in  order  that  we  may  perhaps  secure  an  egg  a  day  in  the 
period  of  high  prices,  or  come  much  nearer  this  goal. 

"One  of  the  essentials  IS  HEALTH— health  and 
good  size,  based  on  vigor  and  stamina.  If  we  have  a  les.^ 
secure  foundation  than  this  to  work  with,  or  on  which  tn 
base  our  experiments,  we  shall  not  get  very  far.  Our 
birds  must  be  in  perfect  health  or  practically  so.  thus 
enabling  them  to  digest  their  food  promptly  and  com- 
pletely, also  to  assimilate  it  and  accumulate  fat,  because 
witliout  this  surplus  of  fat  they  will  not  be  good  winter 
layers." 

Charts  were  exhibited  by  the  speaker  that  showed, 
by  the  use  of  colors,  how  daylight  and'  darkness  were 
changed  in  the  ten  Cornell  experiments  by  the  use  of 
artificial  illumination.  These  charts  covered  the  period 
from  November  1st,  1917,  to  about  July  1st,  1918.  The 
amount  of  illumination  varied  with  the  different  tests,  but 
in  practically  every  case  where  the  length  of  time  for 
"working  and  eating"  on  the  part  of  the  fowls  WAS 
LENGTHENED,  as  compared  with  natural  conditions, 
there  was  a  noteworthy  increase  in  egg  production,  espe- 
cially up  to  the  "50-50"  test,  where  twelve  hours  of  light 
(both  kinds)  was  furnished,  as  compared  with  twelve 
hours  of  night  time,   or  of  roosting  period. 

In  this  connection,  an  impressive  example  was  shown, 
as  published  in  R.  P.  J.  last  month  as  part  of  the  report 
of  the  First  Convention  of  the  National  War  Emergency 
Poultry  Federation.  Same  is  republished  herewith  as  fol- 
jows: 


One  Hundred  Hens  With  No  Lights 

Egg-s  Sold  for 

Laid  Per  Doz.  Receipts 

D  cember  14  $  .69  $     .81 

January   .t 154  .71  9.11 

February  430  .57  20.43 

March  841  .43  30.13 

Apiil  1401  .43  50.20 

May  16aS  .38  55.83 

June    792  .43  28.39 

Total '. 5237  $194.90 

One  Hundred  Hens  With  Lights 

Esgs  Sold  for 

Laid  Per  Doz.  Receipts 

December  1410    ^  $  .69  $  80.08 

January   780  .71  46.15 

February  548  .57  26.03 

March   483  .43  17.31 

April  451  .43  16.16 

Mav  771  .38  24.42 

June    704  .43  25.23 

Total 5147  $235.38 

It  will  be  noted  by  the  foregoing  that  the  one  hun- 
dred hens  with  "no  lights"  laid  90  MORE  EGGS  during 
the  seven  months,  but  that  the  one  hundred  hens  "with 
lights"  brought  in$41.48  MORE  MONEY  by  laying  more 
eggs  during  the  period  of  high  prices. 

Point  of  Special  Value  to  Commercial  Egg  Plants 

Referring  to  the  above  example  and  others  like  it. 
Prof.  Rice  said,  in  substance: 

"These  cases  show  that  by  this  method  the  poultry- 
men  GET  MORE  high  priced  eggs  from  their  fowls  and 
PAY  FOR  THEM  IN  LOWER-PRICED  EGGS,  which 
is  a  profitable  financial  transaction.  We  do  not  get  more 
eggs  in  num'bers,  so  it  would  appear,  but  in  practically 
every  case  we  get  our.  eggs  at  a  time  when  they  bring 
more  money.  We  can't  rob  Peter  to  pay  Paul  completely, 
but  evidently  this  is  true:  by  the  use  of  illumination,  as 
here  meant,  you  can  CONTROL  PRODUCTION,  so  as 
to  supply  your  trade  and  hold  it.  If  this  proves  to  be  true 
throughout  the  important  egg-producing  sections  of  the 
country,  it  will  be  a  great  forward  step — no  doubt  about 
that.  To  date  this  has  been  one  great  difficulty:  poultry- 
men  could  not  contract  to  deliver  eggs  the  year  'round, 
because  during  the  period  of  scarcity  not  enough  fresh 
eggs  were  available  to  keep  up  the  supply.  It  now  appears 
1  at  by  le  athe  „  he  product  on  day  a  d  crea  g  egg 
eld  dur  g  the  sea  ce  per  od  ve  si  all  be  able  over 
n  e    o     lar   ely  off  set  th  s     rade  d  ff  cul  j 


ited    from    the 


Discovery  of  "Li^htin^  System"  in  the  Northwest 

AN  ENGLISHMAN  JOKINGLY  SUGGESTED  IT  TO  PROF.  GEO.  R.  SHOUP,  OF 
PUYALLUP,  WASHINGTON,  WHO  FIRST  TRIED  ORDINARY  BARN  LANTERNS- 
GOOD  RESULTS  WERE  IMMEDIATE  —  SYSTEM  NOW  USED  EXTENSIVELY  IN 
SHORT     DAYLIGHT    TERRITORY,    WITH    IMPORTANT    FINANCIAL    BENEFITS 


By  MR.  and  MRS.  GEO.  R   SHOUP.  IV c 


,  Puyallup. 


AT  the  National  Poultry  Conference,  held  in  Chicago 
March  29-30  this  year,  Mr.  Frank  W.  Breed,  Seat- 
tle, Wash,,  well-known  poultry  judge  and  breeder, 
told  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  that  Prof.  George  R.  Shoup,  Poul- 
try Instructor  and  Investigator  at  the  Experiment  Station 
of  the  Washington  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Puyal- 
lup, Wash.,  was  a  pioneer  in  the  use  of  artificial  illumin- 
ation for  winter  egg  production.  Soon  after  that  we  wrote 
Prof.  Shoup,  asking  him  for  information  on  this  line,  also 
to  send  us  any  bulletins  or  other  printed  matter  the  State 
College  of  Washington  had  published  on  the  subject. 

It  develops  that  Prof.  Shoup,  with  the  co-operation  of 
Mrs.  Shoup,  replied  promptly  to  our  request,  but  his 
letter  came  to  hand  during  the  editor's  absence  from  R. 
P.  J.  offices  on  an  extended  eastern  trip,  hence  was  over- 
looked until  lately,  except  that  its  receipt  was  promptly 
acknowledged.  We  now  find  pleasure  in  printing  said 
letter  in  full,  as  follows: 
_     _     _  Puyallup,   Wash.,    April    19,    191S. 

_       _         _  prac- 

ticed in  this  section,  has  been  given  careful  consideration 
and  we  are  mailing-  you  under  another  cover  such  bulletins 
and  other  printed  matter  as  are  now  available.  We  have 
no  idea  as  to  what  you  may  care  to  use,  but  we  are  glad 
to  give  you   the  straight  o(  it. 

"These  are  the  prevailing  conditions  out  here.  The 
ranches  are  small,  ranging  from  five  to  twenty  acres  of 
logged-oft  land,  freely  sprinkled  with  standing  stumpage. 
Either  dairy  or  diversified  farming  is  not  to  be  thought 
of  on  these  small  ranches,  unless  the  income  can  be  sup- 
plemented by  one  or  more  of  the  family  working  in  the 
logging  camps  or  mills.  The  puzzling  problem  is  to  get 
an  income  from  the  rural  home  the  year  'round. 

"Poultry  flocks  that  begin  laying  in  January  do  well 
enough  the  following  nine  months,  but  must  be  carried 
the  other  three.  It  is  no  special  trick  to  have  well  matured 
pullets  by  October  or  November,  but  being  so  far  north, 
our  short  winter's  day  gives  a  short  daylight  working  day. 


winter  and  finally  suggested  that  we  ha-ng  up  lanterns  to 
make  the  fool  hens  work  longer.  It  sounded  pretty  good, 
and  we  sized  up  the  situation  briefly  as  being  a  case  of 
having  {!)  mature  stock  ready  for  work;  (2)  mild  winter 
■weather  conditions  though  exceedingly  wet,  (3)  and  an 
abundant   supply   of   green   stuff   all   the   year   round. 

"We  shut  the  pullets  in  and  tried  barn  lanterns.  Fine, 
except  that  fourteen  lanterns  were  required  for  the  120 
foot  laying  house,  because  it  needed  to  be  made  bright 
and  shining  by  .3  p.  m.  every  day,  Sunday  included.  How- 
ever, the  production  was  so  materially  increased  that  we 
searched  for  a  simpler  lighting  system.  Anally  coming  to 
use  the  gasoline  lanterns — hollow  tube,  or  private  or  muni- 
cipal electricity,  according  to  the  location  of  the  poultry 
plant, 

"Along  with  the  lights  we  use  one-fourth  inch  sprouted 
feed;    kale,    upon    which    we 


oats    for    the    breakfast 


-    -    sh   for    evening   dessert. 

"Hoping    the    information    concerning    these    commercial 
methods    with    S.    C.    White    Leghorns    in    the    Puget    Sound 
District  will  show  why  we  ship  strictly  fresh  eggs  to  locali- 
ties  unable   to    produce    them    in   winter,    we   are. 
Very    truly, 

MR.    AND    MRS.    GEO.    R.    SHOUP, 

Per  Mrs.  Shoup." 
The  foregoing  recital  of  facts  is  extremely  interesting 
and  shows  how  these  methods  often  come  about — how,  as 
•  the  result  of  accident,  some  of  mankind's  progressive  steps 
are  taken.  Evidently  quite  a  number  of  poultrymen 
located  in  widely  separated  sections  of  the  country, 
stumbled  upon  this  method  of  increasing  the  egg  yield 
during  the  short  daylight  period  of  the  year.  Undoubtedly 
this  is  an  important  forward  step — one  that  will  soon  be 
adopted  by  tens  of  thousands  of  poultry  keepers  in  all 
sections  of  the  country — especially  thoughout  the  North, 
with  the  result  that  large  quantities  of  eggs  which  other- 
wise would  be  laid  in  the  spring  and  summer  will  be  pro- 
duced during  the  late  fall  and  winter,  thus  equalizing  the 
supply  for  human  consumption  and  adding  materially  to 
the  cash  revenue  of  poultry  keepers. 


rticle 


reprinted     from,  the 


BALANCED    RATION    OF    WHOLESOME    FOOD   NECESSARY    FOR    HIGH    EGG   PRODUCTION 


a  hundred  that   j 

Feed  Poultry  For 

Journal.    Eggs  a 

ppli 


The  above  illustration  is  one  of  n 
cessful  poultry  feeding,  entitled,  "How 
son,  Associate  Editor  of  Reliable  Po 
tain  materials.  It  is  necessary  that  these  mate 
"factory  output"  on  the  part  of  the  wonderful  little  animal 
sume  seventy  to  seventy-five  pounds  of  wholesome  feed  dui 
as  food)  while  the  larger  breeds — Plymouth  Rocks,  Rhod 
to  six  pounds  more  for  their  annual  sustenance  and  outp 
artificial   lights  to   increase   egg  production,   we  recommend 


ire  published  in  R.  P.  J.'s  latest  book  on  sue- 
Any  Purpose  With  Profit",  by  John  H.  Robin- 
re  a  manufactured  product.  Into  them  go  cer- 
ed  in  "balanced  quantities"  to  insure  a  large 
lown  as  the  domestic  hen.  A  Leghorn  will  con- 
ig  one  year  (not  counting  grit  and  oyster-shell 
Island  Reds  and  Wyandottes — require  about  five 
.  To  all  readers  of  this  book  on  the  use  of 
VIr.    Robinson's    new    book,    as    here    mentioned. 


Practical  Advice  for  Use  of  "Lighting  System" 

MAN  WHO  HAS  USED  IT  A  NUMBER  OF  YEARS  WITH  FINE  SUCCESS  IN  BACK- 
YARD POULTRY  PLANT  ON  CITY  LOT,  BUFFALO,  N.  Y.,  TELLS  WHAT  HE  DID, 
HOW    HE    DID    IT,  AND    GIVES    GENERAL    REPORT    OF    RESULTS    SECURED 

By  ITARREN  V.  CLARKE,  Buffalo;  N.  Y. 


READERS  of  this  journal  who  are  following  the 
series  of  timely  articles  on  the  use  of  artificial 
illumination  for  increasing  egg  production  during 
the  short  daylight  period  of  the  fall  and  winter,  will  recall 
the  valuable  articles  contributed  to  these  columns  by  Mr. 
W.  V.  Clarke,  59  Bird  Ave.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  whose  city 
"poultry  farm"  consists  of  a  space  25x90  feet.  Dimensions 
of  house  used  by  Mr.  Clarke  are  16x18  feet.  An  electric 
light  is  located  in  the  center  of  this  house,  near  the  ceiling. 
In  an  article  published  in  February,  1918,  R.  P.  J.,  begin- 
ning on  page  1113,  Mr.  Clarke  said: 

"The  'secret'  of  the  heavy  winter  egg  yield  that  I  ob- 
tained is  the  use  of  electric  lights  night  and  morning,  thus 
giving  the  chickens  a  longer  day  in  which  to  consume 
food.  I  find  that  you  can  feed  them  a  less  concentrated 
food  by  elongating  the  day.  The  lights  are  turned  on  at 
5:30  a.m.  and  switched  ofif  at  7:15  or  7:30  p.m.  As  soon  as 
the  daylight  is  strong  enough  they  are  switched  off  until 
three  or  four  in  the  afternoon,  depending  on  the  brightness 
of  the  day.  Lights  are  used  from  October  1st  to  April  1st 
with  pullets,  but  with  yearlings  or  breeders  they  are  used 
from  August  to  February  first,  hens  being  rested  during 
February  and  March  so  the  eggs  will  hatch  well  during 
the  rest  of  the  spring  and  early  summer." 

Some  weeks  ago,  R.  P.  J.  corresponded  further  with 
Mr.  Clarke,  whereupon  he  kindly  offered  to  furnish  our 
readers  a  detailed  report  of  results  obtained  on  this  city 
poultry  plant  for  the  year  to  end  October  31,  1918.  In 
acknowledging  that  letter  and  thanking  Mr.  Clarke  for  his 
further  contribution — to  include  the  annual  report — we 
asked  him  for  "some  good,  timely  advice,  to  be  published 
in  our  November  issue,  a  month  ahead  of  the  annual  re- 
port, for  the  instruction  of  R.  P.  J.  readers — advice  based 
on  your  personal  experience  that  will  prove  helpful  to 
them  in  the  use  of  the  lighting  system."  To  this  letter 
Mr.  Clarke  replied,  under  date  of  October  14th.  In  his 
personal  letter  to  the  editor  he  said: 

"I  wanted  to  give  you  something  for  the  November 
issue  and  have  done  so  in  spite  of  my  recent  illness.  Hope 
the  facts  herewith  will  benefit  my  brother  poultrymen 
who  are  just  starting  the  plan  of  lighting  their  coops  or 
hen  houses  to  increase  fall  and  winter  egg  production.  I 
hope  you  may  be  able  to  visit  Buffalo  in  the  near  future, 
when  I  shall  gladly  show  you  around  'my  back  yard'  and 
give  you  some  further  ideas  that  you  can  write  up,  for 
the  purpose  of  helping  R.  P.  J.  readers.  That  article  in 
your  October  number  by  Prof.  Waite,  telling  and  illustrat- 
ing how  to  pick  out  the  laying  hen,  is  worth  the  price  of 
several  years'  subscription." 

Following  is  Mr.  Clarke's  contribution  to  this  issue — 
and  the  instructions  and  advice  he  gives  are  based  on 
practical,  successful  experience: 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  October  14,  1918. 
Editor  R.  P.  J.— 

"October  R.  P.  J.  came  just  at  the  right  time  as  I  have 
been  ill  for  the  past  week  with  an  infected  foot,  also  a 
bad  cold.  I  will  try  to  give  you  the  facts,  gathered  from 
my  experience  of  the  past  year. 

"In  using  lights  with  poultry  you  are  forcing  the  pul- 
let, not  with  a  concentrated  feed,  but  with  a  longer  period 
to   eat.    You   can,   therefore,   feed   a  ration   full   of  bone- 


producing  food  and  containing  somewhat  more  fibre,  be- 
cause the  bird  has  a  longer  time  to  eat  such  food. 

"I  feed  quantities  of  oats — in  the  mash,  as  scratch 
grain,  also  sprouted.  I  sprout  now  in  three  and  four  gal- 
lon pails,  filling  the  pails  about  one-third  full.  In  about 
four  days  they  are  ready  to  feed  to  the  chickens,  and  how 
the  birds  do  fight  to  get  them!  Oats  cost  about  three 
cents  per  pound  in  Buffalo,  and  I  consider  oats  the  cheap- 
est feed  for  poultry  and  the  best  feed  to  make  a  large 
framed  bird. 

"When  starting  the  lights  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  sort 
your  birds  according  to  size  and  vitality  and  place  your 
most  precocious  pullets  in  separate  pens  or  coops,  using 
less  light  with  the  large,  forward  birds  than  with  the 
smaller,  weaker  ones. 

"If  you  force  your  forward  birds  you  will  bring  a 
semi-molt  to  many  of  them  in  the  month  of  January.  The 
weaker  bird  will  stand  the  extra  light  and  forcing,  not 
laying  as  well  during  the  months  of  November  and  De- 
cember, but  escaping  the  molt  of  the  heavier  laying  birds 
in  December  and  November. 

"By  the  use  of  artificial  light  you  will  have  a  per- 
centage of  your  birds  molting  from  January  on  to  March, 
and  if  one  has  a  plant  of  numerous  pens  or  coops  he 
should  sort  his  birds  continuously  during  the  period  from 
January  to  March. 

"You  will  find  a  molting  bird  rather  timid  and  the 
bird  in  full  laying  will  crowd  her  away  from  the  feed.  As 
an  example,  last  March  I  sorted  over  one  hundred  birds 
and  placed  forty  birds  as  non-layers  in  a  separate  pen. 
The  following  day  I  received  three  eggs  from  these  birds 
and  in  the  course  of  two  weeks  they  were  giving  me  a  30% 
to  40%  egg  yield. 

"With  the  use  of  the  lights  one  can  afford  to  keep 
most  all  his  pullets  from  November  on  to  July,  because 
the  bird  that  molts  in  March  and  April  will  start  laying 
again  in  the  late  spring  and  produce  eggs  when  eggs  start 
to  increase  in  price. 

"I  do  no  hatching  on  my  plant.  I  have  not  the  room 
to  keep  breeding  stock  and  the  cost  of  raising  would  be 
more  than  buying  chicks  at  $15.00  to  $20.00  per  hundred. 

"This  spring  I  raised  about  fifty  pullets  frorh  day-old 
chicks  and  bought  the  balance  of  my  pullets  at  eight  weeks 
old  from  Ward's  Poultry  Yards.  In  a  later  letter  I  will 
tell  the  difference  in  cost  of  raising  the  pullets  up  to 
November  first. 

"I  had  on  November  1,  1917,  168  pullets  and  19  year- 
lings. My  egg  yield  from  November  1,  1917,  up  to  Octo- 
ber 1,  1918,  was  as  follows:  November.  2781  eggs;  De- 
cember, 2594;  January.  1724;  February,  1834;  March,  1609; 
April,  2130;  May,  2840;  June,  2779;  July,  2025;  August, 
1308;  September,  785. 

"In  keeping  poultry  in  the  back  yard,  with  my  sys- 
tem of  feeding,  one  can  water  the  chickens  after  supper, 
feed  the  grain  as  soon  as  you  arrive  from  work,  feed 
some  sprouted  oats  before  going  to  one's  business  and 
directly  after  supper,  so  you  have  your  chickens  under 
your  control,  and  the  only  assistance  you  will  need  is  the 
gathering  of  the  eggs  at  noon  in  extremely  cold  weather. 

"When  my  poultry  year  ends,  I  will  give  you  an  ac- 
count  of  the   cost   of  raising  my  pullets,   net   profits  per 
month,  cost  to  feed  and  how  this  system  can  be  used  on  a 
large  poultry  plant  as  well  as  in  a  back  yard. 
Very  truly  yours, 

WARREN  V.  CLARKE." 


Use  of  Artificial  Lighting  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Yield 

IN  TIMES  OF  PEACE  AS  WELL  AS  IN  WAR-TIME,  MAXIMUM  EGG  PRODUC- 
TION IS  THE  AIM  OF  ALL  PROGRESSIVE  POULTRY  KEEPERS-THE  PROBLEM 
PRIMARILY  IS  ONE  OF  ADEQUATE  NUTRITION  -  PROLONGING  THE  FEED- 
ING AND  WORKING  DAY  OF  THE  HENS  BY  ARTIFICIALLY  LIGHTING  THEIR 
PENS  MORNING  AND  EVENING  RESULTS  IN  GREATER  WINTER  YIELD- 
GIVE  THE  HENS  MORE  TIME  TO  EAT  AND  YOU  WILL  GET  MORE  EGGS- 
MANY    POULTRY    KEEPERS    ARE    NOW    USING    LIGHTS    IN    THIS    MANNER 

B\  PROF.  LUTHER   BANTA,  Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry,  Masiachuietti 
Agricultural  College,  Amher.t,  Mass. 

(First  of  a  Series   of  Three  Articles) 


EDITOR'S  NOTE:  Mr.  Banta  candidly  states  that 
he  has  not,  as  yet,  been  able  to  collect  all  of  the 
fragments  of  the  history  of  the  evolution  and  prac- 
tical developments  of  the  "lighting"  idea  as  applied 
to  poultry  houses.  If  any  of  our  readers  know  of 
persons  \Vho  have  had  extensive  experience  with 
lights,  or  who  used  artificial  illumination  to  increase 
winter  egg  production  a  considerable  number  of  years 
ago,  and  they  will  acquaint  Mr.  Banta  with  the  facts, 
he  will  put  this  data  in  such  form  as  will  make  it 
promptly  available  for  the  information  of  all  Reliable 
Poultry  Journal  readers. 

It  is  confidently  expected,  as  a  result  of  publish- 
ing in  these  columns  several  detailed  reports  from 
practical  poultrymen  in  widely  separated  parts  of  the 
country,  who  have  successfully  used  artificial  illumi- 
nation to  increase  winter  egg  production,  that  many 
other  poultry  raisers  will  be  encouraged  to  take  up 
this  plan  and  give  it  a  trial  on  their  own  plants.  In 
this  way  they  will  be  doing  a  patriotic  work  in  en- 
deavoring to  increase  the  supply  of  human  food,  will 
help  to  sustain  the  patronage  and  interest  of  con- 
sumers in  poultry  products  by  providing  a  fresh  mid- 
winter egg  supply,  and  will  also  contribute  to  our 
exact  knowledge  of  the  practical  value  of  lighting 
when  applied  to  a  still  wider  range  of  conditions  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  and  hasten  the,develop- 
ment  of  tried  and  proved  modifications,  as  compared 
with  its  present  status. 

In  the  next  issue  Mr.  Banta  will  take  up  in  detail 
the  various  systems  of  lighting  and  the  accompany- 
ing feeding  programs  employed  with  success  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country.  Upon  request  he  will 
gladly  confer  with  poultrymen  who  desire  further 
information  or  advice  as  to  the  installation  of  light- 
ing equipment  or  the  management  of  the  same  on  an 
efficient  basis. 


IT  appears  quite  evident  that  the  phrase,  "There  is 
nothing  new  under  the  sun",  was  not  virritten  by 
one  acquainted  with  the  poultry  business.  Poultry- 
men  are  familiar  with  the  ever-changing  aspects  of  their 
business  as  brought  about  by  war  conditions,  and  have 
frequent  occasion  for  wonderment  at  the  astonishing 
rapidity  with  which  new  ideas  and  discoveries  come  to  the 
front.  Often  what  we  consider  brand  new  ideas  are.  in 
reality,  older  ones  re-discovered  and  revived.  This  idea 
of  using  artificial  illumination  to  increase  winter  egg  pro- 
duction is  an  example  of  this  sort.  I  think  it  was  about 
four  years  ago  that  Professor  O.  B.  Kent,  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Poultry  Husbandry  at  Cornell  University,  Ithaca, 
N.  Y.,  discovered  that  what  we  thought  was  an  entirely 
new  idea  in  selecting  heavy  layers  by  their  bleached-out 
shank  color  toward  the  end  of  the  laying  season,  had  been 
observed  and  reported  in  one  of  our  oldest  and  most 
widely  read  agricultural  journals  some  thirty  years  before. 
It  seems  that  a  poultry  woman  with  a  few  hens  had  ob- 
served that  her  best  layers  bleached  out  their  shanks,  but 
as  no  one  else  came  forward  to  substantiate  her  claims 
or  perhaps  even  took  the  trouble  to  look  into  the  matter, 
this  idea,  along  with  many  other  no  doubt  equally  valuable 
ones,  was  consigned  to  the  scrap  heap,  to  be  later  "re- 
discovered." 

Supposed  Origin  of  the  Lighting  Idea 
Professor    James    E.    Rice,    of    Cornell,    while    doing 
Farmer's    Institute   work   in    northern    New    York    State 
about  twenty  years  ago,  ran  across  a  poultryman  who  had 


used  electric  lights  to  increase  the  length  of  his  hen's 
feeding  days  in  winter,  and,  as  a  consequence,  had  ob- 
served a  marked  increase  in  their  egg  production.  To  the 
best  of  my  knowledge  it  is  not  known  where  or  how  he 
obtained  the  idea  or  suggestion  which  led  him  to  try  the 
experiment.  Probably  it  was  original  with  him.  The  fact 
that  he  was  the  owner  of  a  local  electric  light  plant, 
doubtless  explains  the  reason  why  he  ventured  to  spend 
money  on  what  must,  at  that  time,  have  been  considered  a 


LIGHTING    SYSTEM       IS    IN    COMMON    U<?B 
ves  ern 


duction.     Has   been   a 


gl    s 


er  of  the  state 
a  ea  where  many  poultry 
D  ncrease  w  nter  egg  pro 
there   several  years. 


foolhardy  scheme.  It  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
this  pioneer  was  the  victim  of  so  much  derision  and  jok- 
ing because  of  his  work,  that  he  finally  determined  to  give 
up  any  further  effort  along  this  line.  Some  persons  un- 
doubtedly sarcastically  remarked  about  his  efforts  to 
make  his  hens  lay  two  eggs  a  day  by  alternating  eight 
hours  of  darkness  with  eight  hours  of  artificial  light,  or 
some  other  similar  impossible  stunt.  The  tendency  of  this 
type  of  skeptic  is  always  to  miss  the  point  completely 
himself,  and  to  make  the  whole  idea  seem  so  utterly 
stupid  and  preposterous  that  the  mere  mention  of  the 
thing  provokes  a  loud  laugh  and  a  unison  of  catcalls. 

I  recall  how  this  attitude  was  taken  by  a  few  "doubt- 
ing Thomases"  in  relation  to  a  large  and  successful  poul- 
tryman in  western  New  York  who  last  fall  undertook  the 
use  of  the  lighting  program  for  the  first  time.  Many  in- 
sisted that  the  Humane  Society  should  be  appealed  to  as 
Mr.  X  intended  to  work  his  hens  night  and  day  without 


34 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


rest  of  any  kind.  Of  course  this  was  widely  at  variance 
with  the  plan  my  friend  had  in  mind,  as  he  simply  be- 
lieved that  it  was  just  and  proper  that  hens  have  as  long 
a  time  to  work  and  eat  in  winter  as  during  the  period  of 
long  days,  and  he  decided  to  arrange  his  facilities  so  as 
to  accomplish  this  aim. 

A  poultryman  connected  with  one  of  the  large  Leg- 
horn farms  in  New  Jersey  wrote  me  last  winter  that  over 
twenty  years  ago  he  successfully  used  lights  to  increase 
winter  egg  production.  So  we  must  conclude  that  it  is 
not  a  brand  new  idea  at  all. 

Since  these  first  tests  many  other  poultrymen  in  wide- 
ly separated  parts  of  the  country  have  carried  on  the  good 
work  in  endeavoring  to  ascertain  the  real  truth  about  this 
interesting  problem.  Another  poultryman  in  northern 
New  York  used  lights  about  fifteen  years  ago.  In  Decem- 
ber of  last  year  a  poultryman  in  western  New  York  State 
told  me  that  he  had  used  lights  in  his  laying  house  twelve 
years  before  when  he  was  a  resident  in  one  of  the  suburbs 
of  Liverpool,  England.  He  had  run  a  grocery  business  in 
the  city,  and  being  employed  in  the  store  in  the  early 
evening,  he  did  not  arrive  home  until  ten  or  eleven  o'clock 
at  night.  He  went  immediately  to  his  poultry  house, 
called  the  birds  from  their  perches  by  means  of  lantern 
light,  and  gave  them  their  evening  meal.  He  then  raked 
the  litter  into  a  pile,  scatteied  sufficient  grain  therein  for 
their  morning  feed  also  and  about  an  hour  later,  before 
retiring,  and  after  the  birds  had  returned  to  their  perches, 
he  removed  the  lantern  from  the  house.  This  late  evening 
feed  he  found  to  be  very  advantageous  in  increasing  the 
winter  egg  yield. 

After  correspondence  with  s,everal  hundred  poultry- 
men  who  have  been  using  lights  in  most  of  the  northern 
and  eastern  states  of  this  country,  and  in  the  adjoining 
provinces  of  Canada,  I  find  lights  are  being  used  most 
extensively  in  three  restricted  sections,  namely  in  the 
states  of  Washington  and  Oregon,  and  in  Erie  County, 
New  York.  The  accompanying  map.  Fig.  1,  will  show  the 
portion  of  Washington  where  thousands  of  poultrymen 
are  using  lights,  particularly  about  Tacoma,  Vashon, 
Holly,  Lynden,  Ferndale,  Langley,  Silverdale,  Puyallup 
and  Coupeville  in  Kitsap,  Pierce,  King,  Snohomish  and 
Whatcom  Counties,  and  on  Whidbey  Island  in  Puget  Sound. 
Professor  J.  E.  Dougherty  of  the  Department  of  Poul- 
tiy  Husbandry  of  the  University  of  California,  tells  me 
that  most  of  the  large  commercial  egg  farms  of  Southern 
California  also  are  using  lights.  This  means  many  hun- 
dreds if  not  several  thousand  farms.  As  described  by  R. 
S.  Moseley  in  the  June  number  of  R.  P.  J.,  page  441,  lights 
are  being  rather  extensively  used  throughout  Erie  County, 
N.  Y.,  which  is  the  county  in  which  Buffalo  is  located. 
Over  ISO  poultrymen  have  been  using  lights  in  this  region 
for  from  one  to  three  years  each. 

Due  Credit  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  R.  Shoup 
In  both  the  Washington  and  New  York  districts  the 
idea  spread  following  the  signal  success  of  one  individual 
poultryman.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  R.  Shoup,  now 
poultry  specialists  at  the  Western  Washington  Experi- 
ment Station,  Puyallup,  Washington,  doubtless  is  due  the 
credit  for  first  pointing  out  the  full  value  of  winter  light- 
ing to  poultrymen  in  that  state,  and  developing  a  wise  and 
conservative  program  for  its  permanent  use.  Professor 
Helen  Dow  W'litaker,  formerly  of  the  Washington  Ex- 
periment Station  at  Pullman,  writes  me  that  doubtless 
others  tried  out  lighting  at  as  early  a  date  as  did  the 
Shoups,  but  probably  none  so  thoroughly  and  with  the 
logic  of  the  plan  so  clearly  in  mind. 


The  Shoups  were  formerly  large  poultry  producers  at 
Lynden  in  western  Washington.  Mr.  Shoup  wrote  me  that 
they  got  the  lighting  idea  from  noting  the  action  of  hens 
fed  by  lantern  light.  With  several  thousand  hens  to  feed, 
they  found  it  necessary  to  begin  work  before  daylight  in 
the  winter  season.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  caretaker  in 
the  pen  with  a  lantern,  or  even  at  the  striking  of  a  match, 
all  the  birds  would  hop.  off  the  perches  in  one  white 
wave,  and  immediately  begin  to  work  and  eat  greedily. 
The  experience  at  the  Shoup  hennery  was  like  that  se- 
cured by  another  West  Washington  poultryman  who  ex- 
pressed his  experience  in  the  following  slang  phrase — 
"We  simply  put  the  lights  over  and  the  hens  laid  for  it." 

Many  isolated  -oultry  raisers  in  all  parts  of  the  United 
States  have  apparently  run  onto  the  idea  independently,- 
in  many  cases  in  very  interesting  ways.  Professor  James 
Halpin  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  has  written  me  of 
finding  a  poiiltryman  in  the  far  north  of  that  state  using 
lights  several  years  ago.  He  happened  to  stumble  on  the 
idea  in  this  way:  he  had  his  horse-barn  wired  for  elec- 
tricity. Directly  adjacent  and  separated  only  by  a  wire 
door,  was  the  end  pen  of  his  laying  house.  Very  early  on 
winter  mornings  he  would  visit  the  barn  to  groom  and 
feed  his  horse.  The  electric  lights  being  on,  the  first 
laying  pen  was  sufficiently  well  lighted  so  that  the  birds 
could  see  to  scratch  and  eat.  The  owner  noticed  that 
these  birds  laid  many  more  eggs  than  the  occupants  of 
similar  breeding  in  the  other  pens.  In  this  way  he  was 
led  to  install  and  adopt  the  winter  lighting  schedule  as 
part  of  his  permanent  program  of  poultry  management. 
Why  Hens  Require  a  Longer  Working  Day  in  Winter 

Comparing  the  seasons-of  heaviest  egg  production  in 
New  York  (as  typical  of  the  United  States)  and  in  Aus- 
tralia, we  find  that  they  are  exactly  opposi"  '^  "'er 
words,  in  the  southern  hemisphere  the  heaviest  produc- 
tion is  secured  in  October  and  November  (their  "spring"), 
while  with  us  April  and  May  are  normally  our  best 
months.  Apparently,  then,  there  is  a  fairly  close  correla- 
tion between  egg  production  and  season,  because  the 
seasons  are  likewise  directly  opposed  in  the  two  hemis- 
pheres. 

Evidently  there  is  a  very  close  relationship  between  the 
number  of  hours  of  daylight  during  the  various  seasons  of 
the  year  and  egg  production.  Cornell  Univc  -sity  has  chart- 
ed the  egg  production  of  both  countries  (Australia  and  the 
United  States)  and  finds  that  approximately  the  lowest 
production  obtains  during  the  shortest  days  and  the  heavi- 
est production  at  or  just  previous  to  the  longest  day. 

In  this  connection  I  quote  from  a  booklet  entitled, 
"A  Revolution  In  Egg  Production,"  by  Mr.  George  G. 
Newell,  of  Congress  Park,  111.,  who  states:  "On  June  21st 
in  the  latitude  of  Chicago  and  Boston,  the  sun  rises  at 
about  four  twenty-three  a.  m.,  and  sets  at  about  7:40  p.  m., 
making  a  day  of  fifteen  hours  and  seventeen  minutes.  In 
the  same  latitude  on  December  21st  the  sun  rises  about 
seven  twenty-six  a.  m.,  and  sets  about  four  thirty-one  p. 
ni.,  making  a  day  of  nine  hours  and  five  minutes.  This  is 
a  difference  in  length  of  the  hen's  business  day  of  six 
hours  and  twelve  minutes." 

This  is  a  variation  of  over  40%.  Also  many  of  the 
winter  days  afford  only  about  seven  hours  sufficiently 
light  for  the  birds  to  see  to  scratch  and  eat  freely.  This 
means  a  minimum  day  over  54%  shorter  than  the  longest 
day,  in  June.  Yet,  in  addition,  this  occurs  at  that  time 
of  the  year  when  the  atmospheric  temperatures  range  the 
lowest,  and  consequently  when  the  greatest  demands  are 
being  made  upon  the  reserve  food  nutrient  supply  of  the 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  YIELD 


35 


bird  in  order  that  she  may  merely  maintain  her  normal 
body  temperature,  which  is  very  high,  comparatively 
speaking,  in  a  fowl,  averaging  106  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

Whole  Problem  Primarily  One  of  Adequate  Nutrition 

Professor  Halpin,  who  used  lights  in  1907  while  in 
charge  of  the  Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry  at  the 
Michigan  Agricultural  College,  examined  the  crops  of  fowl 
on  the  perches  at  midnight  in  midwinter,  and  found  them 
in  all  cases  nearly  or  quite  empty.  Evidently  a  bird  cannot 
possibly  cram  enough  food  into  her.  crop  at  four  thirty  or 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  to  carry  her  through  to  the 
next  morning's  meal.  In  other  words  she  is  only  working 
on  a  part-time  basis  as  her  mill  (gizzard)  is  prepared  to 
grind  food  continuously,  but  its  output  is  necessarily 
limited  by  the  capacity  of  the  hopper  (crop)  supplying  it. 
Therefore  lights  were  tried  to  supplement  th'"  natural  day- 


before,  though  it  has  been  known  and  used  by  a  few  scat- 
tered poultrymen  for  many  years.  ' 

I  wish  to  quote  a  western  Washington  poultryman 
who  has  used  lights  for  seven  years,  and  who  discovered 
these  fundamental  principles  while  working  independently 
on  his  own  plant. 

He  says:  ."We  began  using  lights  seven  years  ago, 
using  three  ordinary  lanterns  hung  by  harness  snaps  from 
the  center  plate,  being  equally  spaced  in  a  house  16x40. 
We  figured  that,  as  a  hen's  capacity  for  food  was-  very 
small,  the  reason  for  the  scarcity  of  winter  eggs  was  that 
she  did  not  have  time  to  eat  enough,  and  so,  in  an  en- 
deavor to  produce  conditions  as  nearly  like  those  when 
the  eggs  are  most  plentiful,  we  figured  on  keeping  the 
birds  busy  eating  for  13  to  14  hours  each  day.  Our  con- 
tention— to  make  the  fall  and  winter  conditions  as  near 
the  natural  conditions  at  the  natural  time  of  reprodiiction 


Pig.  1 — Shows  the  outside  of  a  far-western  poultry  house,  the  interior  of  which  is  pictured  in  Fig.  2.  Note  the 
open  wire  front,  and  the  long-  outside  trough  which  greatly  facilitates  the  feeding  of  moist  mash  with  a  minimum  ex-. 
penditure   of  l^g-'or.    The   birds   eat  from  the  trough   through   the  wire  front. 


light  hours,  sufficiently  so  that  the  hen  might  eat  her 
evening  meal  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening;  and 
likewise  electricity  was  used  to  provide  an  early  break- 
fast at  about  6  a.  m.  By  this  method  Prof.  Halpin  found 
the  bird's  digestive  system  was  kept  working  through  a 
greater  portion  of  the  day,  that  she  accordingly  consumed 
more  food,  and,  as  a  consequence,  had  a  larger  supply  of 
food  nutrients  available,  was  able  to  keep  her  body  more 
adequately  nourished  and  had  a  larger  net  balance  of  the 
necessary  ingredients  to  manufacture  eggs  more  freely. 
For  generations  hens  have  wanted  to  lay  in  winter,  but 
could  not. 

Professor  J.  C.  Graham,  of  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College  at  Amherst,  has  observed  that  birds  dis- 
tend their  crops  with  food  to  a  greater  degree  in  the  fall 
and  winter  afternoons  than  during  the  spring  and  summer. 
Without  a  question  this  is  a  manifestation  of  the  bird's 
endeavor  to  counteract  the  effects  of  the  short  winter  day 
to  the  very  limit  of  her  ability,  or  capacity,  in  this  rela- 
tionship. 

The  logic  of  the  whole  idea  is  so  simple  and  based 
upon  the  most  elemental  laws  of  physiology  and  nutri- 
tion to  such  an  extent,  that  it  is  astonishing  that  it  has 
not  become  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  and  practice 


— has  proved  eminently  coirect.  Our  pullets  at  the  pre- 
sent time  (November  18,  1917)  are  laying  from  70  to  84% 
of  about  80%  No.  1   eggs." 

Here,  as  in  all  branches  of  agricultural  science,  we 
find  the  FACTS  are  discovered  invariably  by  the  farmer 
on  the  land:  later  the  scientist  in  his  laboratory  proves 
the   REASONS  for  the  observed  phenomena. 

I  have  found  that  poultrymen  in  at  least  twenty-one 
states  of  the  Union,  in  four  provinces  of  Canada,  and  in 
England  have  used  lights  for  increasing  winter  egg  pro- 
duction WITH  SUCCESS  IN  EVERY  INSTANCE. 
Taking  into  consideration  the  wide  variety  of  conditions 
represented  in  these  widely  separated  localities,  and  the 
sound  basis  of  scientific  fact  underlying  the  philosophy  of 
the  whole  plan,  it  can  hardly  be  maintained  that  the 
scheme  is  without  great  value,  particularly  in  its  practical 
application  to  counteract  high  feed  costs,  notwithstanding 
the  efforts  of  certain  skeptics  to  prove  it  a  mere  "pipe 
dream." 

(Persons  particularly  interested  in  this  subject  will 
find  some  very  interesting  and  instructi^'.e  reading  on  this 
subject  in  the  booklet  referred  to,  entitlejl  "A  Revolution 
in  Egg  Production,"  by  Geo.  G.  Neweu.  This  may  be 
procured  from  the  Reliable  Poultry  Journal  Publishing 
Co.,  Quincy,  111.,  price  one  dollar,  postpaid.  Mr.  Newell 
presents  many  pages  of  data  in  connection  with  his 
experiments  in   the  use   of  artificial   illumination.) 

(NOTE— The  foregoing  article  is  reprinted  from  the 
November,  1918,  issue  of  K.  P.  J.) 


Use  of  Artificial  Lighting  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Yield 


IN  THIS  INSTALLMENT  PROF.  BANTA  TAKES  U  P  "ONE  OF  THE  PREVAIL- 
ING PROGRAMS  OF  MANAGEMENT  TO  ACCOMPANY  SCHEDULES  OF  LIGHT- 
ING" IN  SECURING  BEST  RESULTS  —  QUOTES  AT  LENGTH  FROM  WRITINGS 
OF  MR.  AND  MRS.  GEO.  R.  SHOUP,  STATE  OF  WASHINGTON,  IN  WHICH 
THESE  PIONEERS  PRESENT  THE  SUBJECT  IN  A  WAY  THAT  ANY  EARNEST 
PERSON  CAN  READILY  UNDERSTAND —THEY  TREAT  OF  SANITARY  HOUSES, 
USE  OF  PULLETS,  WHAT  AND  HOW  TO  FEED,  WHEN  AND  HOW  TO  USE 
LIGHTS,     ETC.;    ALSO    TELL    WHAT   TO    DO     IN    CASE    OF    BREEDING   STOCK 

ry  PROF.  LUTHER   BANTA,  Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry,  Maiiachusscttt 
■      ■     ■         ■  College       ■     • 


Agricultural  College,  Amke 
:ond   of   a  Series   of  Thr 


IT  is  my  desire,  in  presenting  several  of  the  prevailing 
programs  of  management  to  accompany  schedules 
of  lighting  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  to  point 
out  the  nicety  and  skill  with  which  these  are  adapted  to 
the  prevailing  conditions  and  requirements  of  the  sections 
concerned.  Of  course  this  same  thing  may  be  observed 
in  nearly  all  phases  of  poultry  management,  but  is  of 
particular  interest  in  this  connection  when  one  considers 
the  relatively  short  time  through  which  the  scheme  has 
been  practiced  on  anything  like  an  extensive  scale. 

As  I  mentioned  in  the  November  issue  of  R.  P.  J., 
lights  are  being  used  more  generally  by  several  thousand 
poultrymen  in  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  Washington 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  I  cannot  do  better 
than  to  quote  directly  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  R.  Shoup 
of  the  Western  Washington  Experiment  Station,  from 
articles  appearing  in  the  March,  1918,  issue  of  the  Journal 
of  the  American  Association  of  Instructors  and  Invest- 
igators in  Poultry'  Husbandry,  pages  44-47  inclusive,  as 
well  as  the  Monthly  Bulletin  of  the  Western  Washington 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Vol.  S,  No.  9,  for 
December,  1917,  pages  134-136  inclusive: 

"When  poultry  came  to  be  considered  as  a  likely  busi- 
ness instead  of  a  side  line,  it  was  evident  that  an  income 
eight  or  ten  months  and  a  shortage  the  other  months  of 
the  year  seriously  cut  into  the  yearly  net  income.  Facing 
this  condition,  the  writers  worked  early  and  late  to  con- 
trive a  way  to  get  an  income  over  expenses  during  those 
lean  fall  months,  and  at  the  best  were  able  just  to  meet 
obligations.  We  realized  that  our  pullets  were  fully  grown, 
well  feathered  and  healthy,  so  we  felt  sure  they  were  m 
the  proper  physical  condition  to  lay  if  we  were  clever 
enough  to  give  the  necessary  environment.  We  had  com- 
fortable hen  houses,  protected  with  curtain  fronts,  a  bal- 
anced ration,  and  pullets  as  well  as  hens,  but  the  egg  yield 
was  from  10  to  14%  for  October  and  November  each  year, 
with  the  maximum  yield  coming  up  to  75%  during  the 
spring  months. 

"By  analyzing  natural  spring  conditions  as  nearly  as 
possible,  it  was  readily  seen  that  the  factors  were: 

"First — Long  daylight. 

"Second — Tender,  succulent  green  feed. 

"Third — A  goodly  supply  of  bugs   and  worms. 

"Fourth — No  cold  rains  and  bleak  winds. 

"Along  with  the  conditions  we  already  had,  Nature 
added  these  four  items  each  spring,  with  the  result  that 
the  egg  production  was  much  increased.  Our  cue,  then, 
was  to  imitate  Nature. 

"The  first  season  (1912)  we  tried,  by  using  barn  lan- 
terns, to  give  the  added  working  hours;  by  supplying  fresh 
kale  stalks  while  lighting  in  the  evening,  to  induce  the 
birds  to  stay  off  the  perches,  and  by  adding  enough  animal 
protein  to  the  wet  and  dry  mashes  fed,  to  make  up  for  the 
bugs  and  worms.  Our  hens,  with  no  artificial  conditions 
like  spring,  gave  3^^%  production  in  November  1912, 
while  our  pullets,  with  the  added  factors  above,  gave  a 
yield  of  37%.  The  following  spring  the  hens  made  65%  in 
April  as  against  the  pullets  68%.    There  was   10%   lower 


production  in  spring  when  all  flocks  were  laying  and  the 
price  of  eggs  was  20c  per  dozen,  against  23%  increase  in 
production  when  the  price  was  S3c  in  November.  THIS 
THREW  THE  BALANCE  TO  THE  PROFIT  SIDE  OF 
THE  LEDGER  EVERY  MONTH  THAT  YEAR,  and 
from  that  beginning,  improvements  have  been  added.  Better 
means  of  lighting  came  into  use,  and  the  range  of  animal 
protein  was  enlarged  from  sour  milk  only  to  beef  scrap, 
fish  meal,  buttermilk,  fresh  blood,  ground  fresh  liver,  fresh 
ground  green  bone,  and  salted-down  flesh  of  farm  animals. 
It  is  now  not  uncommon  to  find  selected  commercial  flocks 
in  Western  Washington  with  a  fall  and  winter  yield  of  60 
and  65%  from  the  pullet  laying  pens,  and  a  spring  yield 
from  60%  down  to  50%  by  July  first.  This  means  that  the 
flock  is  trap-nested  and  culled  as  fast  as  non-producers 
are  found,  and  that  each  and  every  factor  favorable  to  un- 
interrupted production  is  carefully  followed. 

"Indispensable  to  this  high  production  are  the  follow- 
ing items: 

1.    Sanitary  Houses 

"Any  chicken  house  flooded  with  daylight  and  fresh 
air  without  drafts  will  be  a  satisfactory  place  for  these 
pullets.  Control  of  weather  conditions  inside  the  coop  can 
be  arranged  by  ventilators  in  the  roof  (see  Fig.  1,  page 
35)  and  a  muslin  or  flour-sack  roller  curtain  over  the  front 
wire-covered  opening.  The  open  front  and  rear  window 
low  down  under  the  droppings  boards,  supplemented  by  a 
skylight  in  the  ventilator,  are  sure  to  give  biddy  a  light 
floor  to  work  upon;  and  to  make  the  conditions  as  spring- 
like as  possible,  artificial  light  is  added  during  the  short 
days  of  fall  and  winter,  starting  at  6:00  a.  m.,  and  contin- 
uing until  8:00  or  8:30  in  the  evening.  The  roller  curtain 
over  the  front  makes  a  difference  of  ten  or  fifteen  degrees 
between  the  outside  weather  and  coop  temperature  in 
winter  weather,  as  well  as  being  an  adequate  protection 
against  winds  and  storms.  Clean  litter  on  either  cement, 
asphalt  or  wood  floor  is  absolutely  necessary  for  confined 
birds  to  get  enough  exercise  to  maintain  health,  and  a  good 
dust  reduces  the  labor  of  keeping  the  birds  free  from 
lice.  A  clean  house,  kept  so  by  daily  gathering  the 
droppings  from  the  droppings  boards  and  daily  scrubbing 
the  water  buckets,  is  of  first  importance.  Wet,  dirty  litter, 
accumulated  droppings  left  day  by  day,  dirty  water  and 
milk  dishes,  and  a  house  infested  with  mites  will  make 
money  losers  of  the  best  flock  of  pullets  ever  raised. 

2.    Pullets 

"All  pullets  hatched  in  the  spring  and  properly  grown 
should  be  in  full  production  (50  to  65%)  when  the  egg 
prices  are  soaring;  and  the  skill  in  mating,  raising  and  feed' 
ing  is  shown  by  the  fall  income  from  these  pullets.  The 
most  profitable  Leghorn  pullets  are  hatched  from  the  first 
week  in  March  to  the  last  week  in  April,  the  hatching 
dates  crowding  back  a  little  earlier  year  by  year  as  Coast 
breeders  succeed  in  controlling  the  pullet  fall  production. 
The  heavy  breeds  need  to  be  hatched  in  February  and 
March  to  reach  maturity  at  the  right  time  in  the  fall. 

3.    Feeding 

"Feed  must  be  suited  to  the  purpose  not  only  of  build- 
ing the  body  of  the  growing  pullet,  but  also  supplying  need- 
ed" warmth  for  winter,  and  giving  enough  raw  material  be- 
sides to  permit  the  manufacture  of  the  egg.  This  means 
that  the  ration  must  have  variety,  palatability,  digestibility 
and  quantity  as  well  as  moderate  cost.  As  this  latter  item, 
cost,  is  much  discussed  now,  the  various  feeds  are  shifted 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  YIELD 


37 


about,  and  substitutions  made  that  were  not  thought  of 
until  the  war  crisis  came  upon  us. 

"The  schedule  followed  every  fall  and  winter  so  far  is 
below,  and  with  this  as  a  basis,  each  year's  grain  supply 
and  prices  will  determine  what  shifts  can  be  made. 
Maximum  Feed  For  100  Leghorn  Pullets  When  Laying 

60  to  70  Eggs  Per  Day  in  October,  November 

and  December 

6:00  a.  m. — Short  sprouted  oats,   14  quarts.    Obtained  by 

sprouting  6  quarts  dry  oats.    Fed  by  artificial  light  in 

good  clean  litter. 
8:00  a.  m. — Clean  water  in  clean  bucket   (not  ice  cold) — 

12  Quarts. 
8:30  a.   m. — Clabbered  milk   or  buttermilk.    Six   quarts. 
3:30  p.  m. — Mixed  grain.    10  quarts   (2  parts  wheat  to   1 

part  cracked  corn.) 


70%  egg  yield  in  October,  November  and  December,  re- 
quires the  combination  of  all  of  the  above  factors,  operat- 
ing all  together  at  one  and  the  same  time,  to  take  egg 
production  out  of  the  realm  of  uncertainty  and  establish 
it  on  a  basis  of  commercial  quantity  production  at  the  will 
of  the  owner. 

"The  use  of  different  types  of  lights  varies  according 
to  location.  In  this  latitude  the  days  in  winter  are  so 
short  that  some  artificial  light  seems  to  be  needed.  The 
following  ways  of  lighting  are  in  use: 

"Where  no  other  light  is  available,  the  cold-blast  barn 
lantern  burning  kerosene  is  used.  It  needs  daily  care  and 
great  caution. to  see  that  the  light  does  not  rise  too  high 
and  set  fire  to  the  building.  The  most  commonly  used  light 
is  the  gasoline  lantern  with  the  large  fount.  This  needs 
filling  only  once  a  week,  lights  a  radius  of  fifteen  feet,  is  a 
brilliant  light,  and  costs  three  cents  a  day  to  run.  Another 
gasoline   light  is  known  as   the   hollow  wire  system.    In 


on  a  large  commercial  egg  farm  in  the  western  part  of  the 
state  of  Washington.  See  exterior  view.  Fig.  1.  Three  gasoline  lanterns  are  shown,  suspended  from  rafters  mid- 
way of  the  pen,  which  light  the  house  its  entire  length.  Suspended  from  the  roof  are  the  ventilator  levers  that 
operate  the  ventilators  shown  at  the  ridge  of  the  house  in  the  exterior  view.  Fig.  1.  Note  also  the  dropped  muslin 
curtains  at  the  left.  Windows  are  provided  in  the  rear  wall,  underneath  the  droppings  boards  and  trap  -  nests. 
Observe  how  many  birds  are  eating  the  kale,  in  the  foreground   to  the  left  in  the  picture. 


4:30  p.  m. — Lumpy,  wet  mash,  7  quarts.  Made  from  egg 
mash  (formula  below)  5  quarts,  water  3  pints,  blood 
(fresh)  1  pint.  Twice  a  week  fresh  cut  green  bone 
2  lbs.  instead  of  the  blood. 

4:00  to  4:30  p.  m. — (According  to  the  weather)  light  lan- 
terns (see  Fig.  2.) 

5:00  p.  m. — Fresh  water  (not  ice  cold.) 

7:30  p.  m. — Kale,' 2  large  stalks  (fed  in  racks  or  hung  from 
roof.)    See  Fig.  2. 

8:30  p.  m. — Lights  out.  The  egg  mash  (dry),  shell  and 
grit  are  in  self-feeding  hoppers  open  all  of  the  time. 

Dry  Egg  Mash 

"For  fall  and  winter  use  in  hoppers  open  all  the  time: 
2  parts  wheat  bran. 
1  part  wheat  middlings. 
1  part  feed  cornmeal. 
1  part  soy  bean  meal  or  proteina. 
Yi  part  meat  scrap  or  fish  meal. 
Yd  part  flake  charcoal. 

1-6  part  sand   (the  safeguard  against  indigestion.) 
J4  part  alfalfa  meal    (to  accustom  fowls   to  taste   should 
the  green  food  run  out.) 
1  part  sifted  ground  oats  (where  short-sprouted  oats  are 
not  fed.) 

"This  mash  may  be  varied  according  to  special  needs. 
For  instance,  where  there  is  a  shortage  of  kale,  more 
alfalfa  is  allowed.  When  looseness  of  the  bowels  is 
noticed,  more  charcoal  is  added.  When  constipation 
shows,  more  bran  is  put  in,  and  where  fresh  blood  and 
green  bone  are  limited,  more  meat  scrap  is  supplied. 

"Bear  in  mind  at  all  times  that  to  get  from  50%  to 


this  system  the  gasoline  is  forced  from  a  large  supply  tank 
through  a  hollow  copper  wire,  by  air  pressure  in  the  tank. 
Each  light  has  to  be  generated  separately,  and  the  wire 
sometimes  gets  clogged,  and  is  also  liable  to  spring  a 
leak  at  the  joints. 

"The  most  satisfactory  gasoline  mantle  lighting  sys- 
tem for  the  long  houses  is  the  tube  system.  The  gasoline 
is  first  forced  into  a  large  generator,  which  makes  suffi- 
cient gas  for  all  of  the  lights.  This  gas  is  led  into  inch  or 
larger  gas  pipe,  which  has  an  air  intake  from  outdoors. 
The  air  and  gas  are  mixed  automatically  to  the  correct 
proportion  (95%  air  to  5%  gas),  and  each  mantle  is  then 
lit  with  a  torch  or  match.  There  is  no  delay  in  lighting 
after  the  one  generator  is  heated,  and  no  dust  from  the 
house  is  drawn  into  the  lights  and  mantles. 

"The  running  expense  of  either  of  the  latter  two  sys- 
tems is  about  3c  per  light,  and  3c  for  the  generating  light, 
with  gasoline  at  20c  per  gallon.  The  supply  tank  of  both 
of  these  systems  is  filled  once  a  week. 

"Where  size  of  the  plant  warrants  it,  and  the  capital 
is  adequate,  private  electric  plants  are  frequently  installed. 
If  one  is  so  fortunate  as  to  be  able  to  buy  electric  current, 
it  is  quite  the  most  satisfactory  light  used. 

"As  the  system  of  lighting  the  coops  during  the  fall 
and  winter  spreads  among  the  poultrymen,  the  tendency  to 
go  on  the  theory  that  if  a  little  is  good  more  is  better, 
caused  some  to  light  too  early  in  the  morning  and  too 
late  at  night,  with  the  result  that  the  birds  made  as  high 
as  90%  for  a  short  period,  and  then  went  to  pieces,  AS 
ANY  OVER-WORKED  CREATURE  MUST.  Others 
who  did  not  understand  the  right  combination  of  all  the 
elements,  tried  to  get  results  from  poorly  balanced  condi- 
tions, and  these  folks  were  disappointed  in  the  production 


38 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 


and  the  health  of  their  flocks.  Still  others  used  lights  with 
their  breeding  flocks  to  the  detriment  of  their  hatching 
eggs.  These  errors  are  gradually  being  overcome,  and 
moderate  lighting  in  this  particular  locality,  where  green 
food  is  taken  from  the  fields  every  month  of  the  year, 
and  the  birds  are  kept  shut  in  the  large,  well-ventilated 
houses  from  the  time  they  are  shut  in  in  the  fall  to  escape 
the  cold  rains  until  spring  breaks,  is  coming  into  common 
use,  both  with  the  large  commercial  flocks  and  the  small 
ones." 

Special  Lighting  For  The  "Breeders" 

Mr.  Shoup  advises  me  that  they  advocate  a  greatly 
reduced  program  of  lighting  for  PART  of  the  breeders, 
none  whatever  being  used  with  the  remainder.  Pacific 
Coast  poultrymen,  in  common  with  those  in  the  East, 
are  learning  the_value.of  EARLY  HATCHING.  It  has 
been  found  out  there  that  the  best  time  to  light  the  breed- 


ing hens  is  December  1st,  enabling  a  60%  production  by 
December  IS.  This  permits  January  hatching.  However, 
these  same  birds  produce  so  heavily  through  December, 
January  and  February  that  their  hatching  eggs  are  very 
poor  in  March  and  April.  So  it  is  the  custom  to  reserve 
another  flock  for  the  later  hatching  eggs,  since  the  old 
hens,  without  the  addition  of  artificial  lighting,  do  not 
reach  their  maximum  yield  until  the  first  of  March  in  the 
state  of  Washington.  Mr.  Shoup  also  reports  that  they 
have  had  very  good  results  in  using  February  hatched 
pullets,  which  have  gone  through  a  partial  molt,  as  early 
breeders,  carrying  them  under  lights  from  October  1. 

This  program  appears  to  be  about  perfectly  adapted 
to  the  conditions  found  on  the  commercial  egg  ranches 
of  the  northwest.  Small  poultrymen  will  doubtless  rebel 
against  such  an  elaborate  scheme  of  management,  but 
this  program  has  been  formulated  for  the  intensive  pro- 
ducer, and  radical  modifications  may  be  made  to  adapt 
the  use  of  artificial  lighting  to  the  needs  of  the  small 
producer.  Mr.  Warren  V.  Clarke  has  explained  such  a 
system  in  R.  P.  J.  in  the  November  issue  (page  32  here- 
with), so  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  elaborate  on  this 
point.  In  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  I  believe 
that  this  schedule  is  the  nearest  approach  to  a  scheme  of 
poultry  management  which  shall,  when  embodying  future 
modifications,  REALIZE  THE  HIGHEST  POSSIBLE 
WINTER  PRODUCTION  COMMENSURATE  WITH 
THE  MAINTENANCE  OF  THE  FOWL  IN  A  STATE 
OF  GOOD  HEALTH  AND  VIGOR. 


Popularly   Used   in  Western   New   York 

In  Erie  County,  New  York,  lighting  is  being  used 
rather  extensively  and  very  successfully.  The  reason  for 
this  local  development  has  been  the  fact  that  electric 
current  generated  by  Niagara  Falls  water  power  is  very 
accessible  and  very  cheap.  Some  farmers  and  poultrymen 
by  virtue  of  quantity  consumption,  are  able  to  obtain  a 
3  to  5c  rate  per  kilowatt  Jiour. 

Mr.  R.  S.  Moseley,  formerly  in  charge  of  the  Cornell 
poultry  project  at  East  Aurora  in  Erie  County,  outlines 
two  prevailing  schedules  of  management  commonly  prac- 
ticed. So  successful  have  the  trials  proved  that  practically 
all  of  the  fifty  poultrymen  who  are  "Project"  members  are 
now  using  lights,  as  well  as  about  100  other  plants  in  the 
same  approximate  locality. 

In  one  schedule,  lights  are  used  only  from  dusk  till 
9  o'clock  in  the  evening.  In  the  other 
plan  they  are  employed  from  5  or  6  a. 
m.  till  daylight,  and  from  dusk  till  8  p. 
m.  Dry  mash  is  always  before  the  birds. 
One  to  one  and  a  half  quarts  of  scratch 
grain  per  100  hens  is  fed  at  7  a.  m.  in  a 
clean  straw  litter  about  8  inches  deep. 
Between  6  and  7  p.  m.  100  hens  receive 
S  to  6  quarts  of  scratch  grain.  In  addition 
some  use  a  moist  mash  at  noontime,  the 
same  being  fed  in  long  wooden  troughs. 
At  about  7:30  p.  m.  the  lights  are  dimmed 
down,  and  they  get  the  signal  to  retire. 
At  8  p.  m.  all  light  is  extinguished. 
Natural  gas,  kerosene  lamps  and  lan- 
terns, gasoline  lanterns  and  acetylene 
have  all  been  tried  as  well  as  the  elec- 
tricity before  mentioned.  All  seem  to 
give  equally  good  satisfaction  provided 
there  is  sufficient  reflection  so  that  the 
birds  can  see  sufficiently  well  to  readily 
pick  grain  from  a  straw  litter.  Usually 
a  60  candle  power  light  is  employed  to  a 
20x20  pen   for   100  hens. 

Some    interesting    conclusions    appear 
from  the  experiences  of  the  Erie  County 
ition.  poultrymen.    It  has  been  found  very  es- 

sential to  use  every  practical  means  to 
keep  the  birds  BUSY  during  their  lengthened  day  and  also 
well  supplied  with  green  food.  Particularly  satisfactory 
are  heads  of  cabbage  suspended  about  18  inches  off  the 
floor.  By  incessantly  leaping  for  this  food,  they  are  kept 
down  off  the  perches,  and  thus  their  interest  and  activity 
sustained. 

Again  it  has  been  found  that  the  ration  need  not  be 
so  high  in  animal  protein  and  low  in  nutritive  ratio  as 
when  the  fowl  experience  the  normal  period  of  winter 
daylight.  The  amount  of  meat  scrap  may  be  reduced  15 
to  20%,  and  a  more  bulky  mash  employed.  The  latter  may 
be  accomplished  by  increasing  the  ground  oats,  gluten 
feed,  or  by  utilizing  alfalfa  meal,  or  short  clipped  clover. 
Providing  pullets  are  nearly  fully  dcxeloped.  lights 
start  them  laying  in  10  days  l.i  two  weeks.  Practically 
all  pullets  that  have  average  vitality  start  lo.  lay  within 
two  months  at  the  extreme  from  the  time  lighting  is 
commenced.  Less  culling  need  be  done  with  fall  pullets 
in  order  to  maintain  a  high  average  annual  egg  production 
when  the  length  of  the  feeding  day  is  prolonged  by  lights. 
If  pullets,  are  desired  for  breeders,  it  is  well  to  select  the 
first  ones  that  start  to  lay,  and  place  them  under  normal 
unlighted  environment. 

It  has  been  found  not  to  be  advisable  to  use  lights  on 
the  breeding  hens  all  winter,  as  the  hatching  eggs  often 
show  low  fertility  and  hatchability,  and  the  chick  very 
poor  livability.  Lights  may  be  used  on  yearling,  two  and 
three  year  old  hens  with  good  results.  Hens  molting  in 
.August  and  September  lay  well  under  lights  through 
November  and  the  balance  of  the  winter.  It  has  been  found 
that  where  heavy  winter  production  is  obtained,  in  all 
cases  the  production  in  late  March,  April  and  May  (when 
eggs  are  lowest  in  price)  is  below  the  normal  of  the  pre- 
lighted  period,  that  is.  that  commonly  obtained  in  un- 
lighted flocks  in  these  spring  months. 

n^    article    is    reprinted    from    the 
R.   P.   J.) 


Electr 


Use  of  Artificial  Lighting  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Yield 

IN  TWO  PRECEDING  ARTICLES  HAVING  GIVEN  THE  "HISTORY"  OF  ARTI- 
FICIAL LIGHTING  OF  POULTRY  HOUSES  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  YIELD, 
THE  REASONS  THIS  PLAN  "WORKS"  WITH  OUR  DOMESTIC  HENS,  AND 
THE  METHODS  EMPLOYED  TO  PROLONG  WINTER  "DAYLIGHT",  THE  AUTHOR 
NOW  CITES  A  NUMBER  OF  CASES  WHERE  THIS  PLAN  SUCCEEDED  AND 
GIVES  TABLES  SHOWING  RESULTS  OBTAINED  —  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING 
PRODUCES     A     MORE    EVEN     DISTR[BUTION     OF    EGGS     DURING    THE    YEAR 

By   PROF.   LUTHER   BANTA,  Department  0/  Poultry  Husbandry,  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College,  Amherst,  Mass. 

(Third  of  a  Series  of  Three  Articles) 


IN  the  two  previous  articles  of  this  series,  I  have 
endeavored  to  present  a  general  background  of  the 
lighting  idea  as  regards  its  philosophy  and  the 
scientific  facts  underlying  same,  the  origin  and  historical 
development  as  far  as  it  is  known  at  the  present  writing 
and  typical  applications  of  these  fundamentals  in  practice 
by  representative  poultrymen  in  various  sections  of  the 
United  States. 

No  doubt  many  poultry  producers  will  be  more  inter- 
ested in  tabulated  results  from  a  few  plants  where  con- 
spicuous success  has  attended  the  installation  of  simple 
lighting  equipment  and  the  use  of  a  conservative  pro- 
gram of  lighting  such  as  I  recommended  in  Part  II. 
This  data  is  valid  and  impartial  to  the  best  of  my  know- 
ledge and  belief,  and  represents  a  fair  and  just  comparison 
of  resultant  production  under  "natural"  conditions  (with- 
out lights)  with  that  obtained  with  winter  lighting  from 
birds  of  identical  breeding  either  in  the  same  year  or  in 
successive  years,  as  indicated  in  the  accompanying  tables, 
and  upon  the  same  farms  and  with  the  same  attendants 
in  each  case. 

I  tiust  readers  will  not  misconstrue  my  purpose  in 
presenting  data  of  this  sort,  as  I  have  no  desire  to  mis- 
lead anyone  to  conclude  that  these  were  formal  "experi- 
ments," conducted  under  exact  control  conditions  such  as 
might  obtain  were  they  carried  on  under  the  supervision 
of  investigation  experts  at  our  Agricultural  Experiment 
Stations.  I  have  always  believed  that  when  comprehensive 
data  from  the  latter  named  sources  was  unavailable,  as  is 
necessarily  always  the  case  when  so-called  new  ideas 
arise,  the  collection  and  presentment 
of  perhaps  less  accurate  statistics  is 
entirely  justifiable.  In  this  case  in 
particular,  correspondence  from  many 
states  is  indicative  of  the  great  and 
growing  interest  manifested  in  this 
subject  by  practical  poultrymen.  De- 
partments of  Poultry  Husbandry  at 
our  Colleges  of  Agriculture  are  being 
besieged  with  requests  for  informa- 
tion and  advice.  Obviously  in  times 
like  the  present  all  who  can  contrib- 
ute information  even  of  the  slightest 
value  should  feel  free  to  do  so.  This 
is  demanded  by  the  common  good  of 
our  great  industry,  and  by  all  con- 
cerned in  its  progressive  develop- 
ment. 

In  Table  1,  I  have  presented  the 
record  of  two  flocks  of  S.  C.  White 
Leghorns  on  a  farm  in  Erie  County, 
western  New  York.  These  records 
cover  two  years'  time.  During  the 
year  October  1,  1915,  to  September 
30,  inclusive,  1916,  the  flock  averaged 


660  layers.  In  the  second  year  October  1,  1916,  to  Sep' 
tember  30  inclusive,  1917,  the  flock  averaged  650  layers. 
All  of  the  stock  was  of  identical  breeding  in  each  case 
so  far  as  is  known.  Hatching  dates,  feeding  and  other' 
items  of  management  were  definitely  comparable  for  the 
two  years,  except  that  in  the  second  year  all  birds  were 
subjected  to  artificial  lighting,  using  natural  gas  as  fuel, 
from  November  16,  1916,  to  April  1,  1917. 

Table  No.  1 


Bg-gs   Produced 

Oct.  1,  '15-Sept.  30,  '16 

660    Layers 

No  Lights  Used 


October  1022 

November   1993 

Decem^ber  2308 

January   2429 

February  4360 

March   7504 

April    9151 

May  9581 

June    7470 

July   5742 

August  ....4161 

September    2729 


58450 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  greatest  differences  existing 
in  the  monthly  production  of  the  two  flocks  are  in  re- 
spect to  their  winter  egg  yields.  During  December,  Jan- 
uary, February  and  March  in  the  first  year  only  16,601 
eggs  were  produced,  while  in  the  same  period  of  the  sec- 
ond year  28,253  eggs  were  produced.  This  is  an  increase 
of  70.2%. 


Bg-g-s    Produced 
Oct.  1, '16-Sept.  30, '17 

650   Layers 

Lights  Used  11-16-'16 

to    4-l-'17 

1104 
1622 
7376 
7062      '• 

S517       ■  ■; 

8298 

8169     '  "; 

7259 

6802 

6747 

4820 

3499 

68275 


being  in  March,  April  and  May 

production  in  Novembe 

factory  production  extended   tron 


40 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 


In  table  2  will  be  found  the  percentage  of  the  total 
year's  production  which  occurred  in  each  month. 

Table  No.  2 

First      Second  First      Second 

Year  Year  Year  Year 

October   1.7%  1.6%      April  15.6%         12.0% 

November  ..  3.4  2.3  May  16.4  10.6 

December   ..  3.9  10.8  June    12.8  10.0 

January    4.1  10.3  July  9.8  9.9 

February   ....  7.4  8.1  August   7.1  7.0 

March  12.8  12.1  September  ..  4.7  S.l 

Uniform  Distribution  of  Egg  Production 
It  will  be  noted  that  in  the  second  year,  beginning 
with  December  (the  next  month  after  lighting  ^yas  begun), 
a  remarkable  constancy  of  production  was  maintained  al- 
most without  a  break,  and  that  this  averaged  from  10  to 
12  per  cent  per  month,  and  was  maintained  for  eight  con- 
secutive months.  On  the  other  hand  in  the  first  year  we 
find  the  customary  lack  of  uniformity  in  the  distribution 
of  egg  production,  as  during  March,  April,  May  and  June 
there  was  57.6  per  cent  of  the  total  annual  yield. 

Using  the  months  of  October  to  March,  inclusive,  as 
winter  months,  we  find  a  total  of  33.3  per  cent  eggs  pro- 
duced, while  in  the  second  year  the  percentage  is  45.2. 
This  seemingly  slight  difference  of  11.9  per  cent  is  of  far 
greater  importance  than  the  figures  would  indicate,  since 
it  must  be  remembered  that  eggs  command  the  highest 
prices  in  this  period.  Also,  it  has  long  been  an  unattained 
ideal  on  the  part  of  the  poultry  producer,  to  maintain  a 
fairly  uniform  production  through  the  twelve  months  of 
the  year.  If  this  were  possible  a  fairly  uniform  and  steady 
income  would  be  obtained,  weekly  or  monthly  uniform 
contracts  could  be  made,  and  perhaps  of  even  greater  im- 
portance would  be  the  fact  that  the  consumption  of  poul- 
try products  would  be  appreciably  increased  by  their  con- 
stant rather  than   seasonal   availability. 

The  foregoing  data  indicates  that  lighting  will,  without 
doubt,  be  of  great  value  in  the  future  in  attaining  this 
uniform  distribution  of  production;  when  used  in  connec- 
tion with  very  early  (March  and  April)  hatches,  that  the 
pullets  may  come  into  laying  as  the  hens  are  droppino; 
of?,  and  by  distributing  three  or  more  hatches  through  this 
spring  period  that  later  pullets  may  come  into  laying  as 
the  earliest  and  most  precocious  ones  go  into  a  fall  molt. 
It  appears  a  certainty  that  with  future  perfection  of  detail, 
this  system  may  provide  an  almost  perfectly  uniform  dis- 
tribution of  egg  production  throughout  the  twelve  months 
of  the  year.  Indeed,  some  poultrymen  and  at  least  one 
Experiment  Station  have  already  attained  results  which 
closely  border  upon  this  ideal. 

This  distribution  attained  on  this  New  York  State 
farm  is  more  vividly  shown  in  Graph ^  1  (page  39).  As 
many  poultrymen  who  have  used  lighting  have  told  me, 
it  is  apparently  possible  to  advance  heavy  production  two 
to  three  months  by  the  use  of  lights.  As  one  might  ex- 
pect, a  subnormal  spring  egg  production  (March,  April, 
May  and  June)    seems  to   follow  logically._ 

In  this  particular  case  there  was  an  increase  in  the 
average  egg  production  per  bird  for  the  year  of  17  eggs. 
This  may  or  may  not  be  significant.  It  should  be  con- 
stantly borne  in  mind  that  the  objective  of  the  lighting 
program  is  to  change  the  distribution  of  egg  production, 
and  not  to  increase  the  average  annual  yield  per  hen. 
Probably  on  the  average,  the  total  annual  production  is 
little  if  any  increased. 

A  California  Record 
The  second  farm  from  whose  records  I  should  like 
to  present  data  is  located  at  Petaluma,  Calif.  Again  the 
birds  are  S.  C.  White  Leghorns.  In  the  former  case  the 
birds  were  pullets,  yearlings  and  two-year  olds.  In  this 
case  they  were  all  yearlings,  hatched  early  in  March,  1916. 
To  show  exactly  the  kind  of  stock  occupying  each  pen. 
I  am  presenting  the  owner's  report  verbatim. 

"Pen  No.  5  was  the  first  pick  of  the  brooder  house; 
by  that  I  mean  they  were  the  largest  and  best  developed 
at  four  months  of  age.  Pen  No.  6  was  second  pick.  As 
the  No.  5  pullets  greatly  outlaid  those  in  No.  6,  I  con- 
sider the  former  as  always  being  the  superior  pen. 

"I  put  the  lights  in  No.  6  on  October  1,  1917,  to  see 
if  I  could  get  them  to  produce  some  of  the  eggs  they 
should  have  laid  earlier  in  life.  I  really  believe  that  with- 
out the  lights  they  would  have  laid  many  eggs  less  than 
they  did  from    October  15,    1917,  to    March    1,  1918.    Of 


course,  this  is  not  a  conclusive  test  by  any  means,  but 
in  my  mind,  considering  the  difference  between  the  two 
pens,  I  am  satisfied  with  it.  This  year,  beginning  October 
1,  I  have  three  houses  running  with  lights." 

Electricity  is  the  light  employed  in  this  case.  In 
starting  in  the  fall,  the  alarm  clock  is  set  to  go  off  at 
4:30  a.  m.  This  automatically  throws  the  main  switch 
and  lights  the  pens.  Every  ten  days  the  hour  of  lighting 
is  advanced  fifteen  minutes,  until  the  birds  are  rising  at 
3:30  a.  m.  Morning  light  alone  is  used,  none  being  em- 
ployed in  the  evening.  The  lights  are  switched  off  at  day- 
break. 

Table  3  shows  the  egg  production  monthly  from  July 
1,  1917,  to  June  30,  1918,  inclusive,  both  percentage  and 
total.  The  average  number  of  birds  each  month  is  likewise 
included. 

Table  No.  3 

Pen  No.    5    (not  lighted)  Pen  No.   6  (lighted) 

No.  No.  No.  No. 

Hens  Eggs  Hens  Eggs 

July,   1917  485  4412  29%  388  2410  20% 

August,  1917  480  3874  26  374  2784  24 

September,   1917..478  2971  20  373  3378  30 

October,  1917  ....476  2129  14  373  3330  30 

November,    1917..474  1724  12  370  3522  30 

December,   1917...468  3918  27  362  3364  30 

January,   1918 452  5127  36  337  4100  40 

February,   1918....440  5785  47  325  4222  46 

March,  1918  430  6801  51  321  4438  44 

April,   1918  423  6832  54  312  5797  60 

May,  1918  414  S748  45  308  5028  53 

June,  1918  406  5020  41  299  4028  45 

Total  54341  46401 

Average   452.2        120.2  345.2        134.4 

Mortality  16.3%  23% 

In  this  case  we  note  also  a  heavier  production  in  the 
case  of  the  lighted  pen,  which  averaged  14.2  eggs  per  hen 
greater  yield  for  the  year.  As  in  the  former  example,  how- 
ever, the  greatest  interest  lies  in  relation  to  the  dis- 
tribution of  this  production  throughout  the  various  months 
of  the  year.  Table  4  presents  the  percentages  of  the  total 
production  for  the  year  which  occurred  during  each 
month. 

Table  No.  4 

Pen  Pen 

No.   5  No.   6 

July,    1917   8.1%  5.2% 

August,  1917  7.1  5.9 

September,  1917  5.5  7.3 

October,    1917   3.9  7.2 

November,   1917   3.2  7.6 

December,    1917   7.2  7.2 

January,  1918  9.4  8.8 

February,   1918  10.6  9.1 

March,  1918  12.5  9.5 

April,  1918  12.5  12.5 

May,  1918  10.6  '         10.8 

June,    1918   9.2  8.7 

As  in  table  2,  we  find  that  there  is  a  much  more  uni- 
form distribution  of  egg  production  throughout  the  year 
in  the  case  of  the  lighted  pen  than  holds  true  in  the  case 
of  the  pen  carried  under  normal  conditions  of  light. 
Using  the  six  winter  months,  from  October  to  March, 
inclusive,  we  find  that  a  total  of  46.8%  of  the  eggs  for 
the  pen  not  lighted  were  produced,  while  for  the  lighted 
pen  49.4%  of  the  entire  year's  production  occurred  during 
this  period.  This  shows  a  difference  of  but  2.6%  in  favor 
of  the  lighted  pen.  While  this  is  not  great,  it  shows  an 
almost  perfectly  distributed  production. 

Using  the  months  of  October,  November  and  De- 
cember as  those  in  which  the  highest  egg  prices  usually 
obtain,  we  find  a  total  percentage  production  of  14.3  for 
the  unlighted  pen,  while  there  is  a  total  of  22  for  pen  No. 
6.  This  difference  of  1  .Tic  is  one  of  tremendous  irnport- 
ance  as  one  egg  produced  in  this  period  may  easily  be 
worth  about  as  much  as  two  laid  during  April,  May  and 
June.  Yet  the  production  of  the  two  pens  for  the  last 
named  period  is  practically  identical.  Herein  apparently 
lies  the  reason  why  we  often  find  an  increase  in  the  annual 
egg  yield  of  hens  subjected  to  lighting  as  against  those 
kept  under  noimal  conditions,  since  much  of  the  winter 
egg  production  seems  to  be  of  a  sort  of  artificially  occa- 
sioned   nature,    following    which  the    birds  will    produce 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  YIELD 


about  as  many  eggs  in  the  spring  and  summer  following, 
though,  as  I  have  mentioned  previously,  the  normally 
expected  peak  of  production  in  April  and  May  may 
be  greatly  flattened  out,  and  distributed  over  an  increased 
span  of  time.  This  corresponds  quite  closely  to  the  dis- 
tribution of  production  found  in  the  trap-nest  record  of 
ahigh  layer  as  contrasted  vi^ith  a  much  inferior  one.  Both 
birds  may  lay  about  the  same  number  of  eggs  during  the 
spring  and  early  summer  months.  The  heavy  producer 
passes  the  lower  bird  by  early  fall  production  by  virtue 
of  early  maturity  and  precocious  production,  and  also  by 
heavy  winter  egg  production. 

The  California  poultryman  from  whose  plant  the 
above  records  were  taken  is  firmly  convinced  of  the  value 
of  lighting.  This  winter  he  has  installed  lights  in  three 
houses. 

Another  New  York  Case 
The  third  example  I  desire  to  present  is  that  of  the 
College  View  Poultry  farm,  operated  by  C.  H.  Palmer  of 
Alfred,  N.  Y.  Two  years'  data  are  tabulated  herewith.  In 
the  year  1916-1917  no  lights  were  used.  In  the  second 
year,  1917-1918,  natural  gas  lights  were  used,  beginning 
December  13th,  and  continuing  until  March  1,  1918.  Table 
5  illustrates  the  average  number  of  birds  each  month,  the 
number  of  eggs  laid  each  month,  and  their  selling  price 
for  each  month  during  the  two  consecutive  years. 


first  case  the  number  of  birds  averaged  393;  in  the  second, 
433.  This  plainly  indicates  the  possibility  of  getting  high 
averages  of  production  through  the  use  of  lights  and  when 
egg  prices  are  at  their  highest  limit.  So  conspicuous  has 
been  the  success  of  Mr.  Palmer  that  15  other  poultrymen 
in  the  same  county  (Allegany)  are  using  lights  this  wmte-. 
Electricity  is  not  usually  available,  consequently  the  poul- 
trymen are  purchasing  gasoline  mantle  lanterns  in  quan- 
tity through  the  medium  of  the  County  Poultry  Asso- 
ciation. 

I  have  previously  mentioned  the  steadying  effect  of 
the  lights  on  the  egg  production  of  a  flock.  As  illustrative 
of  this  fact  it  may  be  of  interest  to  study  the  daily  record 
of  production  in  Mr.  Palmer's  flock  for  a  four-week  period 
following  the  time  when  lighting  was  begun.  These  daily 
egg  production  figures  are  tabulated  in  Table  7. 
Table  No.  7 

December  23, 

December  24, 

December  25, 

December  26, 

December  27, 

December  28, 

December  29, 

December  30, 

December  31, 


33 

January   1, 

132 

36 

January  2, 

141 

42 

January  3, 

154 

.S4 

January  4, 

166 

71 

January  5, 

147 

X(t 

January  6, 

156 

96 

January   7, 

152 

112 

January  8, 

155 

122 

January  9, 

153 

Table  No.  5 


Nov.  1,  '16,  to  Oct.  31  Inc.,  '17; 


17,  to  Oct.  31,  '18 


November  300 

December  360 

January  400 

February   420 

March  460 

April   475 

May  460 

June   430 

July  372 

August  319 

September  235 

October  225 


1302 
1933 
6456 
8366 
8775 
7180 
6182 
4314 
1214 
601 


Value 
$  21.65 
37.67 
74.86 
89.80 
132.08 
215.54 
270.90 
243.01 
194.65 
224.86 
49.73 
18.65 


No. 
Hens 
300 
375 
475 
450 
430 
423 
392 
346 
312 
304 
300 
326 


Totals  47596    1573.40 

Average  371       129  4.24        37 

Table  6  presents  the  monthly  per- 
centages   of   production    for    each    of 
the  two  successive  years. 
Table  No.  6 

1st  Tear     2nd  Year 

November    8%  1.53% 

December    1.8  2.2 

January    2.7  10.2 

February   4.0  12.3 

March   ;...13.S  15.5 

April   17.5  12.4 

May  18.4  13.3 

June    15.0  9.4 

July    13.0  10.5 

August    9.0  7.6 

September   2.5  2.9 

October    1.2  2.0 

Graph  2  on  this  page,  illustrates 
the  distribution  of  the  egg  production 
through  the  various  months  of  the 
two  consecutive  years.  It  will  be 
noted  that  here  again  we  find  a  more 
uniform  production  distribution 
through  the  various  months  in  the 
case  of  the  lighted  than  for  the  non- 
lighted  year.  The  curve  for  the  year 
1917-18  shows  that  the  peak  was 
reached  in  March  instead  of,  as  in 
the  previous  year,  in  May.  The  whole 
curve  shows  that  the  production 
period  has  been  advanced  about  two 
months'  time. 

In  December,  January  and  Febru- 
ary of  the  first  year  4120  eggs  were 
gathered,  while  the  receipts  for  eggs 
sold  were  $202.33.  In  the  second  year 
there  were  a  total  of  12,576  eggs  pro- 
duced, with  a  value  of  $662.16.    In  the 


Eggs 
Laid 
774 
1129 
5187 
6260 
7848 
6315 
6749 
4757 
5320 
3879 
1450 
992 

50660 
134 


Value 
$  68.30 
85.20 
316.90 
260.06 
246.79 
176.12 
211.62 
180.31 
235.28 
184.78 
101.35 
80.15 

2146.86 
5.68 


December  13,  15 
December  14,  13 
December  15,  16 
December  16,  17 
December  17,  15 
December  18,  13 
December  19,  19 
December  20,  17 
December  21,  29 
December  22,  27 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  lights  did  not  show  their 
effects  on  egg  production  until  the  eighth  day  after  they 
were  started.  Beginning  on  December  22nd,  the  pro- 
duction was  materially  increased  each  day  for  thirteen 
consecutive  days.  This  fact  becomes  one  of  great  signifi- 
cance when  one  recalls  the  weather  prevailing  at  that 
time.  Most  Leghorn  breeders  know  the  detrimental  effects 
of  severe  cold  snaps  on  egg  production.  From  December 
27th  to  January  2nd,  inclusive,  in  this  particular  locality, 
the  thermometer  did  not  rise  above  the  zero  mark  DUR- 
ING ANY  HOUR  OF  THE  DAY  OR  NIGHT.  Yet  the 
production  steadily  increased.  Outside  temperatures  as 
low  as  32  degrees  Fahrenheit  were  reported  within  a  mile 
of  the  plant.  The  egg  production  in  neighboring  flocks 
dropped  with  the  mercury,  in  some  cases  near  to  the 
zero  mark.  With  all  low  temperature  records  shattered 
for  periods  of  35-60  years,  Mr.  Palmer's  detailed  records 

(Continued  on  page  45.) 


19' 
17 

lOf 

'T. 

I  Egg  Proau6tlon    OoourrlM! 
E.ch  Month. 

r 

1917. 

16 
15 

J 

1518  - 

IH 
13 
12 

/'          \ 

V-'-'^^ 

,         ^ 

\ 

"■ 

\ 

\ 

\ 

, 

/                       / 

^^''' 

^^,\ 

7 

/                       / 

\\ 

/ 

^\ 

5 

/                         / 

\ 

M- 

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l^ 

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ifS^, 

»c. 

.    .      KAY 

JUllE      .    JTttY 

.    AUG.      ,    SEPT.    ,    OCT. 

Graph  2— This  sketch  also  shows  the  effect  of  using  lights.  Tou  will  note 
that  when  lights  were  supplied  the  peak  of  egg  production  was  in  March  In 
place  of  in  May  and  in  this  case  also  there  was  a  more  uniform  production  than 
when  no  lights  were  used,  which  means  that  the  hens  produced  heavily  when 
eggs  were  bringing  the  highest  prices.  The  figures  to  the  left  should  have  ap- 
peared also  on  Graph  1.     They  indicate  the  percentage   of  production. 


Influence  of  Length  of  Day  on  the  Production  of  Winter  Eggs 

IN  THE  READING  MATTER  HEREWITH  THE  AUTHOR  TREATS  ONLY  OF  ONE 
OR  TWO  FACTORS  WHICH  CONTRIBUTE  TO  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 
AND  DOES  IT  IN  A  GENERAL  WAY;  NEVERTHELESS  WHAT  IS  SET  FORTH 
IS  OF  IMPORTANCE  AND  COMMANDING  INTEREST  TO  ALL  WHO  WISH 
TO  STUDY  THIS  SUBJECT  WITH  THE  OBJECT  OF  INCREASING  PROFITS 
TO   BE    EARNED    BY    KEEPING    DOMESTIC    FOWL    "FOR    BEST    RESULTS" 


By  JAMES  E.   RICE,   Professor  of  Poultry  Husbandry,   Cornell  Urn 


Ithaca,  N.  Y. 


EDITOR'S  EXPLANATION:  Accompanying  the 
first  article  of  his  series  on  the  use  of  "Artificial 
Illumination",  now  running  in  these  pages  (see 
page  33,)  Prof.  Luther  Banta  sent  us  lantern  slides  of  a 
chart,  "showing  the  correlation  between  egg  production 
in  Australia  and  New  York  State",  also  two  charts  which 
indicate  "the  influence  of  outside  temperature  on  the 
temperature  of  fowls  and  egg  production."  Prof.  Banta 
reported  at  the  time  that  these  lantern  slides  were  made 
from  charts  or  reproduction  of  charts,  which  were  in  the 


bZJ 


\&^l^^ 

ti^ 

It.: 

Fig-.  1 — We  are  indebted  to  Prof.  James  E.  Rice  for  the  loan  of  his  orig- 
inal chart  and  regret  that  owing  to  the  size  of  our  pages  we  could  not  make 
this  reproduction  large  enough  so  that  the  lettering  and  figures  could  be 
easily  read.  At  the  top  are  the  words  "Seasonable  Variation  in  Per  Cent  Egg 
Production  for  Australia  and  New  York  State."  The  months  run  consecutively 
from  April  to  April.  The  arrows  at  the  top  show  the  "Australian  Spring  and 
Summer",  from  August  to  December  inclusive,  while  those  at  the  bottom 
show  "New  York  State  Pall  and  Winter",  from  September  to  January  inclu- 
sive. At  the  top  to  the  left  are  the  words,  "Roseworthy  1907-8 — 1;  Rose- 
worthy  1910-11—2;  Gatton  1907-8—3;  Subiaco  1910-11 — 4;  average— 5."  The 
lines  between  these  words  and  numbers  show  the  style  of  lines  used  in  the 
chart  to  indicate  the  egg  records  made  by  these  flocks.  Below,  the  reading 
is,  "Cornell,  Av.  No.  of  pullets  233.04,  1  yr.  old— 6;  Av.  No.  of  hens  233.04, 
2  yr.  old— 7;  Av.  No.  of  hens  78,  3  yr.  old— 8;  Av.  No.  of  hens  82,  2  yr.  old— 9; 
Av.  No.  pullets  68,  1  yr.  old— 10.  Farmers'  Flocks,  Av.  No.  of  females  508.5—11; 
Av.  No.  of  females  289.75—12;  Av.  No.  of  females  308.8—13.  At  the  end  of  the 
lines  in  the  chart  the  outside  figures  to  the  left  are  6,  2,  13,  7,  12,  9,  8,  10,  11; 
inside  figures  4,  5,  3  and  1.  At  the  right  hand  side  the  outside  figures  are 
6,  13,  7,  12,  10,  11,  5  and  4;  the  inside  figures  are  1.  9,  2,  3  and  8,  though 
Fig.  8  ends  above  Fig.  10.  A  magnifying  glass  will  help  interested  readers 
to  follow  these  lines  from  side  to  side.  Pigs.  1  to  5  inclusive  represent  thi 
records  made  by  the  Australian  birds,  while  Pigs.  6  to  13  represent  the  rec- 
ords made  by  the  Cornell  birds.  The  "First  Legend"  as  furnished  by  Prof. 
Rice  that  appears  herewith,  will  make  plain  the  records  that  appear  on 
this  chart. 
42 


possession    of   the    Poultry    Department    at    Cornell    Uni- 
versity. 

R.  P.  J.  found  it  impractical  to  make  legible  repro- 
ductions, small  in  size,  from^these  lantern  slides  or  photo- 
graphs of  same,  hence  wrote  to  Prof.  Rice,  head  of  the 
Poultry  Department  at  Cornell,  and  he  kindly  sent  us 
the  originals,  from  which  reproductions  were  made,  as 
published  herewith.  True  to  his  earnest  nature  and  ef- 
ficient methods,  Prof.  Rice  sent  us  legends  or  foot-notes 
descriptive  of  these  charts,  for  which  double  service 
R.  P.  J.  hereby  extends  its  thanks  and 
those  of  our  many  readers  who  are  in- 
terested in  this  important  subject. 
Writing  under  date  October  17,  Prof. 
Rice  said: 


"I  am  sending  under  separate  cover  a 
reprint  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Royal 
Society  of  Edinburg,  entitled,  'An  Invest- 
igation Into  the  Effects  of  Seasonal 
Changes.  On  Body  Temperature',  by 
Doctor  Sutherland  Simpson,  who  con- 
ducted quite  an  extensive  temperature 
experiment  in  co-oper-ation  with  the  ^ 
Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry  at 
Cornell  in  the  years  1910-1911.  This 
publication  contains  a  number  of  illus- 
trations and  various  data  in  addition  to 
the  material  which  Mr.  Banta  sent  to 
you.  I  am  also  sending  the  original  and 
the  only  copy  I  have  of  a  chart  entitled, 
'Seasonable  Variation  in  Percentage  Egg 
Production  for  Australia  and  New  York 
State',  which  I  prepared  seven  years  ago 
to  illustrate  a  vital  principle  in  egg  pro- 
duction, namely:  the  way  in  which  fowls 
respond   to    climatic   conditions. 

"Inasmuch  as  these  illustrations  are 
to  appear  in  a  Cornell  publication  on  il- 
lumination in  the  near  future,  I  felt  that 
the  matter  should  be  taken  up  with  the 
Dean  before  forwarding  the  illustrations 
to  be  used  in  connection  with  an  article 
to  appear  in  current  literature.  Dean 
Mann  has  given  his  consent,  with  the 
understanding  that  mention  be  made  of 
that  fact  that  these  illustrations  will  ap- 
pear at  an  early  date  in  a  Cornell  pub- 
lication, giving  the  results  of  experiments 
in  illumination  as  influencing  egg  pro- 
duction." 

In  addition  to  publishing  these  illus- 
trations and  the  legends  furnished  by 
Prof.  Rice — doing  so  for  the  purpose  of 
supplementing  the  down-to-date  and  re- 
liable information  that  is  being  given  to 
our  readers  by  Prof.  Banta  in  the  series 
of  articles  before  referred  to.  we  also 
publish  herewith  several  interesting  and 
impiessive  paragraphs  from  a  lantern 
slide  address  delivered  by  Prof.  Rice  at 
the  Forty-third  Annual  Convention  of 
the  Am-ri-.an  Poultry  Association,  Chi- 
cago,  August    12-15,   this  year,   the   sub- 


INFLUENCE  OF  LENGTH  OF  DAY  ON  THE  PRODUCTION  O  F  WINTER  EGGS 


43 


ject  of  which  address  was,  "The  Influence  of  the  War  on 
the  Commercial  Poultry  Industry." — Editor. 

First  Legend,  As  Furnished  By  Prof.  Rice 

"Legend  descriptive  of  the  chart  (see  Fig.  1  herewith) 
showing  the  correlation  between  egg  production  in  Aus- 
tralia and  New  York  State,  prepared  by  the  Department 
of  Poultry  Husbandry,   Cornell  University,  Ithaca,   N.  Y. 

"This  chart  illustrates  a  fundamental  principle  in  egg 
production  and  in  the  physiology  of  the  domestic  fowl, 
-namely:  that  hens,  like  all  other  animals  of  the  bird 
family,  are  exceedingly  responsive  to  their  environmental 
conditions,  whether  these  conditions  are  climate,  which 
includes  temperature,   sunshine,   humidity,   or   food.    It  is 


shows  curves  of  mean  rectal 


flocks  vvere  making  their  highest  production,  the  flocks  in 
Australia  were  producing  the  least  number  of  eggs. 

"It  will  also  be  seen  that  the  curve  of  production  of 
the  Australian  flocks  is  flatter,  that  is  to  say,  that  there  is 
less  variation  from  month  to  month  throughout  the  year 
than  is  the  case  with  the  flocks  in  New  York  State,  which 
may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  there  is  a  less  vari- 
ation in  the  range  of  climatic  conditions  in  Australia  than 
in  New  York  State. 

"As  indicating  the  uniformity  with  which  flocks  of 
different  ages  and  breeds  vary  in  their  production  in  a 
certain  section,  it  will  be  observed  that  there  is  a  general 
uniformity  in  the  production  of  the  flocks  in  New  York 
State,  although  these  records  were  of  birds  of  several  dif- 


CHART  vni. 

I  tempemture  or  hens  in  Pens  IV  ,  V.,  and 
■.all  on  same  day  bebvcen  2  and  4.30  p.m. 


s^sSsssssssa 


i^Z 


:^\ 


^^l 


EFFECTS  OP  SEASOlVAti  CHAIVGES  ON  BODY  TEMPER  VTURE 

Figs.  2  and  3— In  Chart  7  the  top  black  line  shows  the  "Average  Temperature  of  Sixty  -  two  Individuals  Prera 
Pens  12  and  3  For  One  Year";  the  second  line  shows  the  "Average  Temperature  of  Twenty-five  Individuals  From 
Pens  12  and  3  for  Two  Tears";  the  third  line  shows  the  '-Temperature  of  the  Air"  during  the  same  periods;  the 
fourth  line  shows  the  "Barometric  Pressure,"  and  the  last  line  the  "Percentage  of  Egg  Production".  Note  how  the 
temperature  of  the  hen's  body  and  her  egg  production  follow  the  temperature  of  the  air.  In  Chart  8  the  upper  line  shows 
the  "Average  Temperature  of  Fifty-two  Individuals  From  Pens  4,  5  and  6  for  One  Tear";  the  second  line  the  "Average 
Temperature  of  Sixteen  Individuals  for  Two  Tears";  the  third  line,  "Temperature  of  the  Air"  during  the  same  periods; 
y^^^^'Ji'.'''^'^  '"°^  "Barometric  Pressure",  and  the  last  line  "Percentage  of  Egg  Production."  See  "Legend  No.  2"  by 
Frof.  Kice  in  the  accompanying  article. 


upon  the  fact  that  the  hen  responds  in  her  production, 
both  of  eggs  and  flesh,  to  her  environmental  conditions 
that  certain  physical  characters  vary  during  the  year, 
which  enables  us  to  select  hens  according  to  their  pro- 
ductive values. 

"The  fact  that  hens  do  vary  in  the  manner  of  distrib- 
uting their  egg  production  throughout  the  year  is  clearly 
shown  in  the  curves  of  production  of  eight  flocks  of  fowls 
at  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  in  a  manner  directly 
opposite  to  that  of  fowls  kept  in  Australia.  It  will  be 
observed  that  when  the  five  Australian  flocks  were  making 
their  highest  production  in  September,  October,  Novem- 
ber and  December,  the  flocks  in  New  York  State  were 
making  their  lowest  production  and  that  in  the  months 
of  March,  April,  May  and  June,  when  the  New  York  State 


ferent  years,  different  breeds  and  ages,  varying  from  one 
to  three  years.  Notwithstanding  this  fact,  the  curves  have 
a  tendency  to  follow  the  same  general  direction  in  the 
same  months  of  the  year  with  but  very  slight  exceptions." 
Legend  No.  2,  As  Furnished  By  Prof.  Rice 

"Legend,  the  influence  of  outside  temperature  on  the 
temperature  of  fowls  and  egg  production. 

"From  proceedings  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edin- 
burgh, entitled,  'An  Inve.":ti2ation  Into  the  Effects  of  Sea- 
sonal Changes  in  Body  Temperature',  by  Dr.  Sutherland 
Simpson,  in  co-operation  with  the  Poultry  Department  of 
Cornell  University,   Ithaca,   New  York. 

"This  chart  (see  Fig.  2  and  3,  on  this  page)  shows  the 
marked   correlation   between   the   average   temperature   of 


44 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


a  flock  of  fowls  as  compared  to  the  average  temperature 
of  the  air,  the  barometric  pressure  and  the  number  of 
eggs  laid  in  periods  of  four  weeks  for  the  years  1909,  1910 
and  1911.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  fowl's  tempera- 
ture has  a  tendency  to  vary  with  wide  extremes  in  the 
temperature  of  the  air.  This  indicates  that  the  fowl  occu- 
pies a  position  midway  between  the  cold-blooded  animals 
(the  reptiles)  on  one  hand,  and  the  comparatively  con- 
stant, warm-blooded  animals  (the  mammals)  on  the  other 
hand.  In  other  words,  the  fowl  conforms' to  her  temper- 
ature variation  somewhat  as  the  hibernating  mammals 
and  reptiles.  Her  temperature  has  a  tendency  to  conform 
to  vveather  conditions.  This  makes  her  exceedingly  sus- 
ceptible to  sudden  and  marked  changes  in  weather. 

"Inasmuch  as  temperature  is  very  closely  correlated 
with  the  hours  of  sunshine  each  day,  an  additional  factor 
is  introduced,  namely,  the  length  of  time  that  fowls  are 
permitted  to  range  for  their  food,  involving  exercise  and 
constant  supply  of  food  in  addition  to  the  influence  of 
temperature.  It  would  appear,  from  our  present  know- 
ledge of  illumination,  that  there  is  very  good  reason  for 
believing  that  the  regular  supply  of  food  at  proper  inter- 
vals to  enable  the  digestive  tract  to  work  most  efficiently, 
is  of  even  greater  importance  than  that  of  temperature. 

"In  other  words,  it  would  appear  that  the  length  of 
time  between  meals  plays  a  very  important  part  in  en- 
abling hens  to  manufacture  eggs.  That  this  is  one  of  the 
principal  influences  of  illumination  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  fowls  appear  to  lay  most  freely  when,  other  condi- 
tions being  similar,  they  have  as  many  hours  of  sunlight 
for  activity  as  they  do  of  darkness  for  rest,  namely,  they 
respond  to  the  favorable  spring  conditions  of  March  21st, 
when  the  days  and  nights  in  the  north  temperate  climate 
are  essentially  equal  in  length,  and  that  they  begin  to 
drop  off  in  production  very  soon  after  the  days  com- 
mence to  be  shorter  after  the  21st  of  June,  and  commence, 
normally,  to  get  ready  to  lay  when  the  days  commence  to 
be  longer  after  the  21st  day  of  December. 

"It  appears,  from  the  illustrations,  that  barometric 
pressure  does  not  appear  to  be  an  important  factor  as 
influencing  production." 

Benefits  of  Artificial   Lighting  to   Increase  Winter  Egg 
Production 

Following  are  the  paragraphs  reprinted  from  the 
stenographic  report  of  Prof.  Rice's  address  delivered  at 
Chicago  last  August,  as  per  the  introductory  remarks  to 
his  article: 

"Fortunately,  man  has  discovered  a  scientific  method 
by  which  we  can,  dealing  with  EXTERNALS,  tell  a  poor 
bird  from  a  good  bird  when  we  see  her — can  tell  whethei 
or  not  they  are  laying  or  whether  they  are  likely  to  be- 
gin soon  and  we  can  tell  whether,  if  they  are  laying,  they 
will  soon  quit,  doing  this  by  the  characteristics  of  their 
bodies. 

"This  is  brought  about  and  made  possible  by  two 
facts.  First,  that  the  bird  is  MOST  RESPONSIVE  of  all 
of  the  domestic  animals  TO  HER  ENVIRONMENTAL 
CONDITIONS.  She  responds  to  light  and  darkness;  she 
responds  to  heat  and  cold;  she  responds  to  comfort  and 
varioiis  practical  conditions  so  that  she  either  lays  or  does 
not  lay,  very  much  depending  on  the  time  she  is  hatched, 
the  breeding,  and  her  inherited  tendency,  plus  the  en- 
vironment that  surrounds  her.  She  is  a  creature  of  cir- 
cumstances MORE  THAN  ANY  OTHER  DOMESTIC 
ANIMAL  WE  HAVE,  and  that  is  one  of  the  reasons 
why  so  many  succeed  where  other  people  do  not  succeed, 
because  one  person  will  follow  up  the  details  and  handle 
them  wisely  and  the  bird  RESPONDS  TO  THOSE 
CONDITIONS. 

"We  need,  therefore,  to  consider  also  the  fact  that  the 
fowl,  in  responding  to  the  environment  AND  INHERIT- 
ED TENDENCY  TO  LAY,  goes  through  a  certain 
physical  change  each  week  or  month  of  the  year,  de- 
pending on  how  many  eggs  she  has  laid.  The  more  eggs 
a  hen  lays,  the  more  she  takes  out  of  her  body  certain 
substances  which  have  a  profound  influence  upon  her 
weight,  upon  her  plumage,  upon  her  color  and  upon  the 
texture  of  her  skin  and  comb  and  the  hardness  of  her 
bones  which,  if  a  person  understands  HOW  TO  READ 
THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BIRD,  if  he  understands  the 
bird  and  these  characteristics  and  the  philosophy  behind 
it,  he  is  able  to  pick  out  a  hen  that  is  laying  from  one  that 


is  not  and  is  able  to  tell  a  good  one  from  a  poor  one  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year. 

Proof  By  Test  That  Longer  "Days"  Do  Help 

"Now  the  first  few  slides  I  want  to  show,  deal 
with  this  principle,  and  if  the  operator  will  turn  on  the 
light  I  will  attempt  to  give  you  the  proof  of  one  or  two 
of  these  facts.  These  slides  give  us  the  result  of  two 
years'  experiment  with  a  large  number  of  hens,  where 
temperature  records  were  taken  at  very  frequent  inter- 
vals in  order  TO  FIND  OUT  WHETHER  OR  NOT 
THERE  WAS  ANY  CORRELATION  BETWEEN 
THE  TEMPERATURE  OF  A  HEN'S  BODY,  THE 
TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  WEATHER,  THE  NUM- 
BER OF  EGGS  SHE  LAID,  AND  THE  NUMBER  OF 
HOURS  OF  SUNSHINE  EACH  DAY,  and  if  you  will 
follow  up  these  curves  (indicating  on  screen),  you  will 
notice  that  there  is  a  very  striking  relationship  between 
this  curve  of  average  temperature  month  by  month  for  a 
period  of  two  years  for  this  large  number  of  hens,  and 
this  curve  of  temperature  of  the  weather  month  by  month, 
and  this  curve  of  THE  NUMBER  OF  HOURS  OF 
SUNSHINE,  and  this  curve  of  egg  production  of  several 
hundred  fowls  on  the  College  Faim;  and  you  will  notice 
that  there  is  a  perfect  comparison,  a  perfect  correlation 
between  this  curve  of  HOURS  OF  SUNSHINE  (indi- 
cating on  screen)  with  this  curve  of  DECREASE  and  IN- 
CREASE in  the  number  of  eggs  LAID  PER  FOWL 
during  those  periods.  You  will  notice  that  striking  re- 
lationship and  that  whenever  the  temperature  of  the  air 
is  very  low,  the  temperature  of  the  body  is  lower  AND 
THE  EGG  PRODUCTION  IS  LOWER  and  the  hours 
of  sunshine  are  less,  and  that  as  the  hours  of  sunshine  in- 
crease the  temperature  of  the  air,  EGG  PRODUCTION 
INCREASES  and  the  temperature  of  the  body  of  the  fowl 
also  increases. 

More  Time  to  Exercise  and  to  Eat 
"The  point  I  want  to  emphasize  is  that  the  bird  is 
responsive  to  her  environment,  and  it  is  for  us  to  over- 
come those  adverse  conditions  if  we  expect  to  get  the 
bird  to  respond.  Now,  the  whole  philosophy  of  causing 
fowls  to  lay  high  percentages  of  eggs  is  based  on  the 
principle  of  equalization  of  the  hours  of  exercise  and  the 
time  between  meals,  and  it  is  truly  amazing  how  you  can 
control  the  production  with  the  same  kind  of  feed  and 
fowls  and  care  and  all  other  environmental  conditions, 
IF  YOU  WILL  DO.  ONE  THING:  get  the  illumination 
there  by  artificial  means  either  in  the  morning  or  night 
or  both  so  that  you  will  make  the  number  of  hours  of 
exercise  and  opportunity  to  eat  and  sleep  IMITATE  THE 
CONDITIONS,  as  near  as  you  can,  when  the  days  are 
the  same  length  as  the  nights,  or  TWELVE  HOURS 
EACH. 

"This  one  fact,  when  it  is  properly  applied,  will  enable 
a  person  to  TURN  FAILURE  INTO  SUCCESS  as  a 
commercial  poultryman,  because  he  is  able  to  produce 
eggs  when  one  egg  will  bring  the  price  of  two  at  tne 
cheaper  seasons  of  the  year,  and  also  to  increase  the 
number  of  eggs  that  a  fowl  lays  during  the  year,  as  vvell 
as  increasing  the  proportion  of  eggs  that  she  lays  during 
the  periods  of  high  prices. 

"Now  to  see  to  what  extent  fowls  come  into  produc- 
tion and  go  out  of  production,  with  climatical  conditions, 
just  as  crops  of  strawberries  and  watermelons  come  into 
the  market,  I  am  putting  upon  this  screen  a  curve  to 
show  the  percentages  of  egg  production  each  month  in 
the  year,  of  the  five  flocks  of  fowls  in  different  parts  of 
Australia,  and  these  birds  are  the  highest  producing  birds 
in  the  egg  laying  contests  in  those  sections,  and  compar- 
ing that  with  what  takes  place  in  the  same  months  of  the 
year  with  a  very  large  number  of  flocks  in  New  York  State, 
and  you  will  see  that  the  lowest  egg  production  in  Aus- 
tralia is  in  the  months  of  April  and  May.  that  it  begrins 
to  go  up  in  June  and  July  and  reaches  its  highest  point 
in  September,  October  and  November  and  begrins  to  g-o  down 
in  December.  January,  February  and  March,  whereas  the 
production  of  a  large  number  of  flocks  representing  a  thou- 
sand or  more  birds  in  New  York  State  is  at  its  highest  in 
April  and  May,  goes  down  to  its  lowest  point  in  November 
and  December,  and  comes  up  to  high  production  by  the  fol- 
lowing March  and  April,  so  that  you  get  almost  a  perfect 
circle  here  (indicating  on  screen),  highest  on  one  side  of 
the  earth  at  the  same  time  that  it  is  lowest  on  the  other. 
It  is  a  matter  of  simply  RESPONDING  TO  THEIR  ENVIR- 
ONMENTAL, CONDITIONS,  due  primarily  to  hours  of  sun- 
shine and  temperature." 


FORCING  EGG  YIELD  BY  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT 


45 


PORCING   EGG  YIELD   BY   USE   OF   ARTIFICIAL 
LIGHT 

(Continued   from   page   18) 
until  almost  6  p.   m.     At  that  time  they  were  averaging  24 
per  day;  within  four  days  they  dropped  to  19  per  day. 

"While  I  cannot  say  positively  that  it  was  the  result  of 
shortening  the  day,  I  fee!  confident  it  was,  as  their  feed 
was  not  changed  in  the  least  and  they  are  all  in  fine  con- 
tlition. 

In  reply  to  your  question  regarding  incubation  of  the 
eggs,  would  say,  on  February  3rd  I  sold  to  my  brother,  in 
Randolph,  Mass.,  300  eggs  from  this  pen.  At  the  end  of 
seven  days  54  were  tested  out  as  infertile;  from  the  remain- 
der he  hatched  132  chicks,  or  44  per  cent  of  the  total.  They 
are  now  ten  days  old  and  he  pronounces  them  fully  as  large 
and  vigorous  as  any  he  has  in  his  flock  of  700  hatched  from 
■eggs  purchased  of  four  different  poultry  fanciers,  all  chicks 
being  of  the  same  breed. 

as  a  low  percen._„_   -. 

In  my  case  there 
were  two  things  which  I  think  affected  the  result  some- 
-what.  The  three  cockerels  were  purchased  from  one  party 
and  while  they  were  possibly  raised  together  they  spent 
the  greater  part  of  the  first  few  days  forcibly  renewing 
their  acquaintance,  which  was  bad  for  their  beauty  and 
the  peace  of  the  flock.  After  they  had  been  together  but 
ten  days  I  commenced  saving  eggs  to  incubate  and  by  the 
time  they  were  placed  in  the  incubator  some  of  them  were 
17  days  old.  Either  one  or  both  of  these  things  may  pos- 
sibly have  caused  the  poor  hatch.  From  a  second  lot  of 
139,  sold  February  26th,  20  were  tested  out  as  infertile  at 
the  end  of  seven  days;  the  final  result  of  these  of 
remains  to  be  seen. 


at  close  range. 


April,    1911,   issue   of  R.   P. 


MORE    EVIDENCE     OF    EGG- YIELD    VALUE    OF 
LIGHTING  SYSTEM 

(Continued  from  page  28) 
on  they  jump  down  into  the  straw  and  get  busy  and  then 
they  go  to  the  mash  boxes.  At  the  time  of  installation, 
the  egg  production  was  12  per  cent,  which  increased  in 
two  weeks  to  40  per  cent  and  steadily  increased  to  70  to 
80  per  cent  and  it  is  still  holding  up  at  this  writing,  the 
latter  part  of  April.  The  iirst  month's  results  were  a 
substantial  and  convincing  proof  of  the  efficiency  of  this 
system  and  we  then  installed  it  throughout  the  entire 
plant  with  the  exception  of  the  breeding  house,  and  in  all 
of  them  the  results  were  equally  satisfactory.  My  experi- 
ence, therefore,  has  not  covered  a  year's  work  with  the 
lights,  but  it  does  cover  the  winter  months  and  we  are 
entirely  satisfied  with  the  results.  The  birds  are  in  fine 
condition  and  are  hustling  around  every  morning  at  4:00 
a.  m.    We  never  use  the  lights  in  the  evening. 

"Our  home  town,  Burbank,  is  quite  a  poultry  center, 
having  some  of  the  largest  commercial  plants  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  the  lighting  system  is  in  almost  uni- 
versal use.  All  the  poultrymen  here  testify  to  its  effici- 
ency. The  expense  of  installation  and  lighting  is  largely 
a  local  proposition.  With  us,  with  the  present  high  price 
of  wire  and  other  material  used,  it  costs  about  $30.00  for 
one  circuit  of  twelve  to  fourteen  lights  and  less  than  $2.00 
a  month  (March)  for  'juice'  for  this  one  circuit.  It  does 
seem  that  the  lighting  system  ought  to  be  a  good  thing 
for  the  eastern  and  mid-western  poultrymen  and  we  hope 
to  hear  reports  from  those  who  have  used  it  with  success." 

(NOTE:  The  foregoing  article  is  reprinted  from  the 
August,   1918,  issue  of  R.  P.  J.) 


LIGHTING    SYSTEM    FOR   INCREASING    EGG 
PRODUCTION 

(Continued  from  page  26) 
the  fact  that  there  are  twenty-four  hours  in  each  day  of 
human  reckoning.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  been  made 
clear  by  numerous  experiments,  dating  back  quite  a  num.- 
ber  of  years,  that  if  the  domestic  hen  is  comfortably  housed, 
is  in  good  health,  and  is  fed  the  right  kinds  and  quantities 
of  feed  she  can  produce  250  to  300  eggs  in  365  consecutive 
days  and  also  can  manufacture  two  eggs  in  twenty-four 
hours,  performing  this  feat  repeatedly  in  a  period  of  one 
year,  or  such  a  matter. 

Some  two  years  ago  a  Swiss  named  LeBerthonis 
worked  for  W.  C.  Ellison,  resident  manager  of  the  Cyphers 
Company  Poultry  Farm,  Elma  Center,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Julius 
LeBerthonis  was  in  his  native  country,  Switzerland,  at  the 
time  the  World  War  started,  but  left  there  and  came  to 
America  by  way  of  Italy.  He  spent  several  months  in 
the  Leghorn  district  of  Southern  Italy  and  told  Mr.  Elli- 
son, at  the  time  he  worked  for  him  on  the  Cyphers  Com- 
pany farm,  that  it  was  a  common  thing  for  ordinary  Leg- 
horns in  southern  Italy  TO  LAY  TWO  EGGS  PER 
D.\Y  during  the  long  days  of  the  spring  months  and  early 
summer;  that  this  was  so  common  an  occurence  that  noth- 
ing special  is  thought  of  it  by  the  owners  of  these  fowls. 
At  Madison  Square  Garden  Show,  the  past  winter,  Mr. 
LeBerthonis  repeated  these  statements  to  editor  of 
R.  P.  J.  and  later  sent  us  an  article  in  which  they  are  set 
forth  in  detail.  Article  has  not  been  published  in  these 
-pages  because  of  its  length. 

Early  Experiments  of  Dr.  E.  C.  Waldorf, 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
In  the  February,  1915,  issue  of  R.  P.  J.  was  published 
■an  exceptionally  interesting  article  by  Dr.  E.  C.  Waldorf, 
M.  D.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  inventor  of  the  Magic  Egg  Tester, 
which  has  for  its  object  a  determination  of  the  hatching 
-value  of  hen's  eggs  by  recording  the  density  of  their  con- 
tents. Dr.  Waldorf's  article  was  entitled,  "Ten  Eggs  Per 
Week  Per  Hen  and  How  it  Was  Done."  This  article,  com- 
plete, is  republished  herewith,  beginning  on  page  19. 

(NOTE:  The  foregoing  article  is  reprinted  from  the 
J\.pril,  1918,  issue  of  R.  P.  J.) 


USE    OF   ARTIFICIAL   LIGHTING   TO    INCREASE 
WINTER  EGG  YIELD 

(Continued   from   page   41) 
of  his  flock  for  a  13-year  period  show  that  he  had  greatly 
exceeded  all  past  records  of  egg  yield. 

Table  No.  8  shows  the  highest  and  lowest  number  of 
eggs  gathered  by  Mr.  Palmer  during  any  day  in  December, 
January  or  February  for  the  12  years  prior  to  1917-18, 
and  for  this  last  year.  Succeeding  columns  give  the  aver- 
age numbers  of  birds  kept,  the  percentage  increase  which 
this  highest  daily  production  represents  over  the  lowest, 
and  the  average  per  cent  of  the  flock  laying  in  each  case. 
Table  No.  8 

Increase     Per 
No.  Eggs  Per  Day     Average      in         Cent 
High    Low    No.  Hens      %      Laying 

Average  of  12  years 45         20        209  225  16 

1917-1918  238^       13        462        1831  30.5 

This  table  shows  that  there  was  a  tremendous  increase 
in  production,  approximating  1606%,  over  the  average  of 
the  previous  12  years.  This  could  not  be  explained,  there- 
fore, on  the  presumption  that  the  tremendous  increase  in 
pioduction  was  due  to  additional  pullets  coming  into 
laying. 

To  point  out  the  rapidity  with  which  the  lights  in- 
crease production  when  the  birds  are  fully  matured,  I  shall 
submit  the  following  facts.  Within  one-eighth  mile  of 
Mr.  Palmer's  plant  are  located  two  smaller  plants,  one 
operated  by  a  woman,  the  other  by  a  man.  For  con- 
venience, we  may  refer  to  them  as  Miss  A  and  Mr.  B. 

Miss  A  had  a  flock  of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns,  consist- 
ing of  150  yearling  hens  and  75  pullets.  On  January  4, 
1918,  she  gathered  two  eggs  from  the  entire  flock.  Due 
to  the  protracted  cold  weather  and  low  egg  yield,  she 
decided  to  try  lights.  She  procured  three  kerosene  barn 
lanterns  and  began  to  use  them  on  January  5th.  Exactly 
four  weeks  later  she  gathered  117  eggs  in  a  single  day 
from  the  same  flock. 

Mr.  B  was  very  skeptical  of  the  lighting  proposition. 
But  noting  the  success  of  Mr.  Palmer  and  Miss  A,  he 
finally  decided  to  make  a  last  endeavor  to  break  even  at 
least  with  a  rapidly  increasing  feed  bill  and  a  practically 
stationary  income  sheet.  On  January  30,  1918,  from  215 
S.  C.  White  Leghorn  hens  and  pullets  he  Secured  18  eggs. 
He  bought  three  kerosene  lanterns  for  $2.80.  Lighting  was 
begun  January  31st.  In  less  than  three  weeks'  time— to 
be  exact,  on  February  19th,  the  same  flock  produced  143 

eggs. 

(NOTE:  The  foregoing  article  is  reprinted  from  the 
January,   1919,  Issue  of  R.  P.  J.) 


Making  Artificial  Daylight  For  the  Layers  in  Winter 


PRACTICAL  DETAILS  IN  REGARD  TO  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  IN  POUL- 
TRY HOUSES  FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF  SECURING  INCREASED  WINTER  EGG 
PRODUCTION,  GIVEN  BY  A  PIONEER  IN  THIS  REMARKABLY  SUCCESSFUL, 
UP-TO-DATE  METHOD— AUTHOR  TELLS  AT  WHAT  TIME  IN  THE  DAY  ARTI- 
FICIAL LIGHT  SHOULD  BE  SUPPLIED  AND  HOW  LONG  TO  CONTINUE  IT- 
SEVERAL  APPLIANCES  FOR  ILLUMINATING  POULTRY  HOUSES  DESCRIBED 
AND  ILLUSTRATED  —  THE  BAIT  THAT  BRINGS  THE  FOWLS  FROM  THE 
PERCHES   AND  KEEPS   THEM    DOWN    UNTIL  THE   LIGHTS   ARE   TURNED    OUT 


By   GEORGE   R.   SHOUP,   Poultryman,   fTcUcrn   Washington  Expc 


Station,  Puyallup 


IN    the    November    issue    of    thi 

1      heading  "Discovery   of  Light 

west",   .we   quoted    from    a    le 

s    .7 

ournal     ^ 

inder    the 

ng 

System 

in  North- 

and    Mis. 

George  R.   Shoup  of  the  We;  tern 

Washingto 

n  Experi- 

menr  Station,  in  which  was  give 

descript 

on  of  the 

manner   in  which   Mr.  and   Mrs.   Shoi 

p   discovered   that 

the  use  of  artificial   light  in   the 

e  to  pro- 

long  the   short   mid-winter  days, 

reL, 

ularly   r 

increased    egg     production.      In 

article 

it     was 

stated    that    in    an    earlv    issue    \\ 

liould    qi 

ote    from 

different  bulletins  writ, en  by  Mr 

.'^l 

oup  regarding  his 

method,    the    different    lighting 

dev 

may    be 

successfully    employed    and    resu 

secured. 

This    we 

are  doing  herewith. 

This  article   contains   highly 

val 

uable    information 

and   directly  answers  a  number 

of   r 

that  are 

being    asked    daily    by    persons    w 

rho 

are   intc 

rested    in 

this   truly   practical   method   of  i: 

creasing  w 

nter   pro- 

duction.      Readers    also    are    urg 

ed 

Banta  of  the  Department  of  Pou 

ti-A 

Husban 

dry,   Ma   - 

sachusetts   A.gricultural    College, 

"Use    of 

Lighting  to  Increase   Winter  Egg  Y 

eld",   on 

pa.ge   969. 

T 


(See  page  33  of  this  book). 

Of  especial  interest  is  the  concluding  part  of  this 
article,  which  deals  with  the  productiveness  of  extra- 
early  pullets  under  artificial  lighting.  The  experience 
of  poultry  keepers  generally  is  that  while  such  pul- 
lets prove  to  be  good  layers  in  late  summer,  they 
almost  invariably  go  into  a  fall  molt,  which  renders 
them  useless  as  producers  again  until  toward  spring. 
If  it  should  prove  possible  regularly  to  bring  these 
molted  pullets  back  to  good  production  in  early  win- 
ter by  the  use  of  artificial  lighting,  as  has  been  done 
by  Mr.  Shoup,  extra-early  hatching  may  be  expected 
to  develop  into  a  most  important  feature  of  commer- 
cial egg  production.  The  following  article,  written  by 
Mr.  Shoup,  is  reprinted  from  several  recent  Monthly 
Bulletins  issued  by  the  West.  Wash.  Exp.  Station. — Ed, 


Fig.  1— Diagram  of  electric  wiring  for  poultry  houses.  The  bright 
and  dim  light  circuits  have  separate  feed  wires,  but  they  use  the  same 
return  wire.  Bright  lights  are  spaced  15  feet  apart,  are  two  feet  from 
the  front  wall  or  curtain,  and  are  about  5  feet  from  the  floor.  Dim 
lights  of  about  7-candlepower  are  placed  at  about  25-foot  intervals 
and  may  be  on  brackets  on  the  front  wall  supports.  The  dim  lights 
are  used   to   induce  birds   to   go   to   roost. 

48 


HERE  has  been  considerable  discussion  among 
poultrymen  regarding  the  possible  overproduction 
of  winter  eggs  if  all  poultrymen  practice  the 
lighting  of  their  flocks.  The  bogy  of  overproduction  of 
high-priced  eggs  has  been  heard  for  years,  but  every  year 
the  price  has  advanced  over  the  preceding  one  and  the 
ability  of  the  public  to  continue  to  consume  the  increased 
output  has  always  kept  ahead  of  the  supply. 

There  is  no  doubt  that,  were  winter  conditions  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  as  favorable  for  egg  production  as 
on  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  use  of  artificial  daylight  would 
increase  the  present  10  per  cent  average  winter  yield 
throughout  the  country  to  approxi- 
mate spring  production.  Fortunately 
for  the  Coast  poultry  business,  the 
severe  weather  in  other  localities,  the 
consequent  lack  of  succulent  green 
feed  and  the  extreme  difficulty  of 
keeping  birds  comfortable,  will  al- 
ways discourage  attempts  at  high 
winter  production  of  eggs. 

Another  factor  is  the  poultryman 
who  has  gone  into  the  business  as  an 
easy  way  to  make  a  liv- 
ing. He  is  very  much  op- 
posed to  getting  up  early 
in  the  morning  and  to 
working  with  poultry 
after  dark.  He  always 
prides  himself  on  the  few 
hours  he  has  to  spend 
with  the  chickens.  "This 
thing  of    cleaning    the 

droppings  boards  every  morning  and  renew- 
ing the  litter  frequently  is  all  bosh",  he  says. 
There  are  many  of  this  type  who  will  never 
go  to  the  extra  work  of  using  artificial  day- 
light. The  egg  production  from  their  poultry 
is  probably  not  much  greater  than  that  of  the 
average   farm  flock. 

The  transportation  facilities  are  much  im- 
proved in  recent  years.  As  an  instance,  dur- 
ing January  and  February,  1918,  many  carloads 
of  fresh  Washington  eggs,  mainly  produced 
by  plants  using  artificial  light,  left  Seattle  for 
New  York  City  at  the  highest  net  prices  to 
the  producer  ever  experienced  up  to  that  time. 
In  using  artificial  light  for  poultry,  the 
caretaker  should  clearly  understand  the  func- 
tion of  these  extra  hours  of  light.  The  light 
is  not  used  as  a  means  of  forcing  the  birds  to 
lay  unnaturally.  There  should  be  no  stimula- 
tion such  as  is  derived  from  condiments  or  a 
too  liberal  supply  of  green  cut  bone.  Produc- 
tion carried  past  the  bird's  ability  to  renew  the 


Figure  2  —  This 
small  gasoline 
mantle  lantern  is 
easier  to  carry 
than  the  large 
lantern.  It  has 
the  same  lighting 
power,  but  re- 
quires moje  time 
to  operate,  be- 
cause of  the  dally 
filling   and   pump- 


MAKING  ARTIFICIAL  DAYLIGHT  FOR  THE  LAYERS  IN  WINTER 


wear  and  tear  on  her  digestive  organs,  we  believe  would 
be  rightly  termed  "forcing." 

An  instance  brought  to  our  notice  recently  was  an  ex- 
periment in  lighting  carried  on  by  a  well-known  Experi- 
ment Station.  The  endeavor  there,  as  expressed  in  the 
report,  was  to  "fool  the  birds."  They  were  lighted  at 
various  hours,  starting  at  4:00  a.  m.  and  finishing  at  1:00 
a.  m.  The  report  as  tabulated  showed  a  very  good  pro- 
duction for  the  first  few  weeks,  but  later  on  the  birds  all 
went  into  a  molt,  and  as  a  consequence  the  Station  offi- 
cially announced  that   artificial   lighting  is   a  mistake. 

The  whole  endeavor  in  campaigning  for  winter  eggs 
should  be  based  on  the  attempt  to  produce,  as  nearly  as 
possible,  springtime  conditions.    These  are: 

(1)  Succulent,  tender  green  feed;  a  plentiful  supply 
of  worms  and  bugs;  warm,  soft  earth  to  dust  in. 

(2)  Mild  weather  conditions;  no  severe  storms  or 
cold  to  combat. 

(3)  At  least  14  hours  of  daylight  in  which  to  eat 
and  digest  food. 

The  first  condition  is  produced  by  feeding  kale,  which 
usually  stays  green  all  winter  in  this  climate,  for  green 
feed.  The  equivalent  of  the  worms  and  bugs  is  supplied 
by  feeding  fish  meal,  beef  scraps,  fresh  blood  and  milk. 
An  inside  dust  bath  where  the  sunshine  strikes,  supplies 
the  soft  earth. 

The  second  requirement  is  met  by  a  properly  con- 
structed and  ventilated  laying  house  with  a  good  muslin 
curtain  in  front. 

The  third  essential,  light,  can  be  supplied  by  several 
different  equipments.  Whatever  equipment  is  used  it  is 
necessary  to  use  a  very  small  and  dull  light  to  put  the 
b'lds  to  roost  after  the  brighter  lights  are  turned  out. 

Electric  Lighting 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  electric  light  is  the  most 
convenient  and  safest  method  of  lighting  poultry  houses. 
The  cost  in  some  instances  is  considerably  greater  than 
where  other  systems  are  used,  but  in  no  case  is  it  very 
great  considering  the  benefit  that  may  be  derived.  In 
fact,  one  extra  egg  a  day  will  pay  for  the  lighting  of  100 
birds.  This  Station  has  demonstrated  in  carefully  con- 
ducted experiments  that  the  use  of  lights  in  conjunction 
with  other  specified  ideal  conditions  will  increase  produc- 
tion from  30  eggs  per  day  without  lights  to  60  with  lights, 
per  100  birds. 

Electric  lights  should  be  spaced  about 
IS  feet  apart  through  the  entire  length 
of  the  laying  house.  They  should  be 
placed  well  towards  the  front  of  the 
house  to  permit  the  light  to  cover  all 
the  floor  under  the  droppings  boards, 
otherwise  many  birds  will  stay  in  the 
shadow  there  and  sleep  instead  of  work- 
ing while  the  lights  are  shining.  In  a 
house  20  feet  wide  we  recommend  the 
SO-watt  nitrogen  lights  for  best  results. 

Many  poultrymen  who  have  finally 
arrived  at  the  stage  where  their  plant 
brings  in  a  good  revenue  are  now  instal- 
ling home  electric  light  plants.  These 
plants  have  been  developed  until  they 
are  practically  foolproof.  They  have  the 
advantage  over  other  lights  of  greater 
safety  and  convenience,  also  ability  to 
light  all  the  buildings  as  well,  as  the 
residence  and  yard  from  one  plant.    The 


cost  of  these  plants  at  this  time,  not  including  the  wirmg, 
is  upwards  of  $500.00. 

Gasoline  Mantle  Lights 

The  gasoline  mantle  light  is  one  of  enormous  candle 
power  and  has  been  used  very  largely  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  for  lighting  poultry  houses.  The  cost  of  lighting  is 
said  to  compare  with  a  rate  of  l^c  per  kilowatt  hour  for 
electricity. 

For  a  house  30  feet  long  or  less,  the  individual  lan- 
terns are  the  best  to  use.  A  SO-foot  house  needs  two 
lanterns,  while  a  house  100  feet  long  or  over  had  best  be 
lighted  with  the  tube  system.  In  the  tube  system  the 
gas  is  all  generated  at  one  place  and  five  parts  of  gas  are 
mixed  with  95  parts  of  air,  the  air  being  carried  into  the 
generator  by  a  conductor  pipe  from  outdoors.  This  is 
the  principal  advantage  this  system  has  over  the  lanterns 
or  the  hollow  copper  wire  system. 

The  lanterns  and  hollow  wire  systems  are  fed  the  95 
parts  of  air  directly  from  the  coop.  This  air  is  always 
full  of  dust,  which  eventually  will  clog  the  gauze  strainers 
of  either  of  them,  and  a  dull  light  is  the  result.  One  draw- 
back to  the  tube  system  is  the  condensation  of  the  gas 
back  to  gasoline  in  the  large  conveyer  pipe  whenever  a 
draft  of  cold  air  strikes  the  pipe.  In  warm  heated  build- 
ings, such  as  stores  or  churches,  there  is  little  difficulty 
of  this  kind,  but  in  the  poultry  house  it  is  advisable  to 
insulate  the  pipes  with  a  heavy  paper  covering,  and  all 
plants  should  be  installed  with  a  T-trap  to  catch  the  con- 
densed gasoline  before  it  gets  back  to  the  generator  and 
spoils  the  mixture.  Too  rich  a  mixture  makes  the  lights 
burn  red  and  eventually  blackens  the  mantles.  There  are 
no  small  tip-cleaning  wires  to  get  out  of  order  in  this 
system,  as  in  the  lanterni  and  hollow-wire  systems,  and 
the  lights  require  no  mica  shades  or  glass  globes  around 
them.  The  cost  of  the  tube  system  varies  according  to 
the  size.  A  four-light  system  for  lighting  a  100-foot 
house  costs  about  $60.00  at  the  present  time.  Systems  can 
be  procured  handling  20  or  more  lights,  but  the  hot  gas 
vapor  cannot  be  carried  satisfactorily  from  one  building 
to  another  through  the  cold  air  outside. 

Ordinary  Kerosene  Lanterns 

We  have  often  suggested  to  the  prospective  user  of 
artificial  lights  for  poultry,  if  he  is  at  all  skeptical  as  to 
the  benefit  to  be  derived,  that  he  hang  up  a  few  kerosene 


pi^  4 — Tube  system  of  gasoline  mantle  lights, 
showing  gasoline  tank  with  air  pump,  metal  box  where 
the  gas  is  generated,  and  the  general  arrangement  of 
the  lights.  By  ihe  operation  of  a  needle  valve  in  the 
generator,  any  degree  of  dim  light  may  be  produced 
through  all  the  lights  at  the  same  time. 


48 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


lanterns  in  some  of  his  smaller  coops.  The  ordinary  kero- 
sene lantern  will  stand  only  one  year  of  the  constant 
service  demanded  in  coop  lighting.  We  do  not  recom- 
mend this  plan  because  sf  the  comparatively  small  amount 
of  light  given,  and  the  large  number  of  lanterns  required 
for  a  commercial  plant.  The  service  is  very  inefficient, 
and  as  the  lanterns  have  to  be  cleaned  and  refilled  every 
day,  the  time  required  for  keeping  them  in  shape  is 
greater  than  with  any  other  system.  The  fuel  cost  is  also 
greater.  At  one  time  the  writer  cleaned  the  globes, 
trimmed  the  wicks  and  filled  the  bowls  of  some  thirty- 
one  lanterns  every  day.  The  same  lighting  service  was 
secured  the  next  year  with  only  six  gasoline  lanterns,  and 
there  was  a  great  saving  of  time  and  fuel  in  the  operation 
of  the  latter. 

The  writer  has  had  ten  years'  continuous  experience 
in  using  artificial  light  for  poultry.  Beginning  with  kero- 
sene lanterns,  he  changed  to  gasoline  lanterns  as  soon  as 
he  became  acquainted  with  this  improved  light,  later  used 
a  hollow  wire  gasoline  system,  then  a  tube  gasoline  sys- 
tem, and  finally  a  home  electric  plant.  He  can  confidently 
assure  poultry  raisers  in  Western  Washington  that  the 
judicious  use  of  artificial  light,  in  conjunction  with  proper 
housing  and  feed,  will  prove  profitable  through  increased 
production,  and  will  not  in  any  wise  injure  the  birds  or 
reduce  their  vitality. 

Feeding  the  Artificially  Lighted  Flock 

Where  artificial  lighting  is  regularly  practiced,  the 
feeding  method  recommended  by  this  Station  for  Leghorn 
pullets  laying  heavily,  based  on  units  of  100  birds,  is  as 
follows: 

7:00  a.  m. — 8  lbs.  of  dry  oats,  germinated  to  very  short 
sprouts. 

3:30  p.  m. — 8  lbs.  scratch  grain. 

5:00  p.  m. — 4  lbs.  of  a  good  dry  mash  mixture  wet 
with  water,  to  which  fresh  blood  is  added  in  proportion 
of  1  pint  of  blood  to  1  gallon  of  water.  In  the  absence  of 
blood,  4  quarts  of  sour  milk  or  buttermilk  may  be  used, 
or  blood  meal,  at  the  rate  of  about  10  per  cent  of  the  mash 
fed,  mixing  this  with  a  suitable  quantity  of  water. 

7:30  p.  m.— Kale. 

Dry  mash  is  supplied  in  hoppers,  and  during  the  day  one 
hundred  birds  will  average  to  consume  about  four  pounds  of 
this,  also  about  a  gallon  of  clabbered  milk,  which  is  fed 
about  9:00  a.  m.  The  kale,  which  is  fed  at  7:30.  is  greatly 
liked  by  the  fowls,  and  when  brought  in  after  supper  proves 
to  be  a  good  bait  to  bring  the  pullets  off  the  roosts,  where 
many  of  them  go  after  filling  up  on  the  mash.  Without 
a  bait  of  some  kind  they  will  turn  their  backs  to  the 
brightest  lights  and  the  attempt  at  lighting  will  be  a  fail- 
ure. After  a  few  weeks  of  this  practice  the  pullets  refrain 
from  roosting  early  and  most  of  them  are  on  the  floor 
waiting  when  the  kale  comes  in.  After  eating  the  kale 
they  scratch  industriously  for  grain  in  the  litter,  eat  more 
dry  mash,  water  and  shell,  and  by  8:30  or  9:00  p.  m.  are 
filled  to  repletion  again. 

Our  feeding  trials  have  shown  no  difference  in  pro- 
duction if  the  day  starts  at  5:00  or  at  7:00  a.  m.,  provid- 
ing a  14-hour  feeding  period  is  given.  One  advantage  of 
the  later  start  is  the  shorter  period  before  the  sun  has 
warmed  the  atmosphere  in  the  coop,  eliminating  the  dan- 
ger of  the  water  freezing  in  the  drinking  vessels. 

The  pullets  must  never  be  allowed  to  drink  water  with 
ice  in  it,  or  to  eat  frozen  kale  or  mangles,  as  they  are 
certain  to  get  bowel  trouble  and  quit  laying.  If  the  kale 
is  frozen  when  the  lights  are  turned  on,  it  should  be  hung 


up  in  the  wire  front  out  of  reach  of  the  birds  until  it  is 
thawed  out.  Enough  kale  should  be  fed  each  night  to  last 
till  noon  the  next  day.  If  any  is  left  at  that  time  it  is  re- 
moved from  the  coop  until  7:30  p.  m.  Neglect  in  re- 
moving the  frozen  kale  and  in  thawing  out  the  drinking 
water  is  usually  occasioned  by  the  caretaker  having  the 
electric  light  button  over  the  head  of  his  bed,  and  when 
the  birds  go  into  a  partial  molt  it  is  unjustly  blamed  to 
artificial  lighting.  The  cause  probably  was  the  method  of 
handling  the   lights. 

Artificial  lighting  can  be  overdone.  The  benefit  de- 
rived from  the  lights  is  immediately  apparent  to  the  care- 
taker, and  as  the  price  of  eggs  is  always  highest  during 
the  short-day  period,  the  temptation  is  very  great  to  drive 
the  birds  past  their  limit  of  laying.  The  skillfull  operator 
keeps  careful  note  of  the  condi- 
tion of  his  birds.  If  the  flesh  on 
the  keel  bone  is  gradually  receding 
and  the  birds  losing  weight,  there 
is  a  day  of  reckoning  coming  and 
he  will  most  certainly  go  through 
a  six-week  period  of  greatly  re- 
duced production. 

Experience  has  shown  that  with 
the  day  regulated  by  artificial  light 
to  14  hours,  and  with  the  right 
kind  of  feeding,  the  pullets  can  be 
k6pt  in  good  condition  and  will 
continue  laying  regularly  at.  the 
rate  of  about  60  eggs  per  100  birds. 
It  is  much  better  to  let  them  jog 
along  at  this  rate,  keeping  them 
healthy,  busy  and  happy,  rather 
than  to  try  to  force  them  beyond 
this  practical,  safe  limit. 

If  they  lag,  examine  the  litter 
for  an  ammonia  odor,  indicating 
that  it  should  be  changed;  see  that 
ice  is  not  left  in  the  water  bucket, 
nor  frozen  feed  where  the  birds 
can  get  it.  If  they  run  up  to  75 
eggs  a  day,  increase  the  green  feed 
and  cut  down  on  the  morning  oats 
and  evening  grain  until  they  come 
back  close  to  60.  That  is  their 
best  gait  at  this  season  under  all 
ordinary  conditions. 

Artificial   Lighting   For   Early- 
Hatched  Pullets 

The  question  of  the  right  time 
to  hatch  is  a  momentous  one.  On 
it  may  depend  the  success  or  failure  of  next  season's  egg 
crop.  There  is  a  very  general  belief  that  early  hatches,, 
especially  January  and  February  hatches,  are  unprofit- 
able because  the  pullets  molt  in  the  fall  at  the  time  of 
highest  egg  prices.  March,  April  and  May  are  the  months 
when  most  hatching  is  done.  Eggs  are  then  most  plentiful 
and  cheapest,  and  this  is  the  time  of  the  year  when  the 
hens  are  out  on  the  succulent  spring  range  and  the  fer- 
tility of  the  eggs  is  highest. 

Experiments  carried  on  at  this  Station  for  the  past 
three  seasons  go  to  show  that  early  hatches  pay  best,, 
and  the  earlier  the  better.  To  illustrate,  in  1917  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  pullets  hatched  from  January  eggs  have 
shown  a  very  remarkable  egg  production.  They  started 
laying  June  10  and  by  August  1  were  in  full  laying.  A  few- 
started   the    pullet   molt   in   August,    but    there    has    never 


I-ig-  3— Laige  g-as- 
jluie  mantle  1  a  n  - 
t  e  1  n  specially  de- 
signed toi  lighting 
poultry  hovises.  One 
filling  with  gasoline 
lasts  about  a  week, 
and  more  air  pres- 
sure is  added  each 
day  without  losing 
the  pressure  already 
in  the  tank  as  in 
the  smaller  lantern 
which  has  to  be- 
filled  every  day  and 
the  air  released  in 
the  process. 


MAKING  ARTIFICIAL  DAYLIGHT  FOR  THE  LAYERS  IN  WINTER 


been  more  than  21  per  cent  of  them  molting  at  one  time. 
The  average  length  of  time  for  this  pullet  molt  was  47 
days;  about  half  the  time  required  for  the  old  hens.  The 
production  has  never  gone  under  45  per  cent  since  August 
1,  and  they  have  gone  through  the  entire  high-priced  egg 
period  since  the  middle  of  October  with  production  be- 
tween 60  and  70  per  cent. 

These  birds  after  molting  are  fully  matured  and  lay  a 
beautiful  hatching  egg.  They  have  been  mated  to  vigorous 
cock  birds  and  the  hatching  results  thus  far  (November 
28  and  December  3)  have  been  quite  satisfactory,  averag- 
ing 61  per  cent  of  eggs  set,  with  10  per  cent  mortality  of 
chicks  up  to  the  fourteenth  day  of  brooding.  We  thus  have 
a  certainty  of  more  early-hatched  chicks  for  next  season's 
flock. 

Thus  far  these  February  pullets  have  been  handled 
solely  with  a  view  to  market  eggs.  They  have  had  the 
artificial  light  and  the  blood  mash  after  the  evening  grain 
feed,  as  described.  The  weather  conditions  have  been  ex- 
ceptionally fine  thus  far.  The  birds  are  still  in  very  good 
condition  and  have  had  almost  no  ailments.  Only  two 
have  died,  and  two  have  been  marketed  as  culls.  Many  of 
these  birds  have  now  (December  18)  laid  over  ISO  eggs, 
and  the  flock  will  average  SO  eggs  more  than  April  batch, 
which,  in  spite  of  a  reduction  of  hours  of  lighting  and  a 
reduced  ration  to  retard  production,  show  an  average  of 
over  75  per  cent  for  the  past  60  days. 

The  early-hatched  pullets  referred  to  above  were  from 
the  same  pen  of  breeders  as  the  April  birds  and  were  pro- 
duced with  the  same  equipment  of  incubators  and  brood- 
ers, which  would  otherwise  have  stood  idle.  They  cost 
about  2c  more  per  day-old  chick,  because  of  the  higher- 
priced  eggs  and  the  lower  fertility,  but  to  date  they  show 
$1.00  greater  profit  per  bird  than  do  the  later  hatches. 

These  early-hatched  pullets  also  serve  to  equalize  the 
daily  egg  yield  in  September  and  October,  when  the  old 
birds  were  quitting.  With  a  January  or  early  February 
hatch  there  should  never  be  a  period  of  very  slack  produc- 
tion, as  is  to  be  expected  when  only  March,  April  and   May 


hatched  birds  are  used.  This  early  hatch  should  be  large 
enough  to  pay  those  October  feed  bills.  Another  good  rea- 
son for  the.'5e  early  hatches  is  the  certainty  of  filling  your 
pullet  laying  house  in  the  fall.  Suppose  the  April  or  May 
hatch   goes  "■  '-  " "- -    ''      '  '         ■     ■    ■ 

kept  over. 

The  following  statements  give  a  fairly  accurate  com- 
parison between  the  February  1st  and  the  April  1st  hatches. 
The  flock  hatched  April  first  consisted  of  320  pullets  and 
the  one  hatched  February  first  contained  160  pullets.  For 
comparison  we  have  assumed  that  the  market  cost  of  teed 
has  been  the  same  during  the  laying  periods  of  both  hatches. 
The  February  1st  lot  was  hatched  by  the  Poultry  Short 
Course  students  in  four  small  hatches— January  25,  January 
29,  February  5  and  February  13.  For  convenience  in  com- 
putation we  assume  all  were  hatched  February  1st.  The 
cost  of  chicks,  brooding  and  feeding  to  six  months  of  age 
for  February  birds  was  $1.02  and  for  the  April  birds  $1  each. 

Each  bird  was  banded  as  she  was  taken  from  the  trap 
nest  after  laying  her  first  egg.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
April  birds  show  a  very  heavy  production  in  November.  In 
fact,  the  average  production  for  the  six  weeks  beginning 
November  1  was  79  per  cent.  At  this  writing  both  the 
February  and  April  pens  are  producing  about  75  per  cent, 
and  we  are  gradually  curtailing  the  production  by  increas- 
ing the  bulky  feeds  and  the  carbohydrates  at  the  expense 
of  the   protein. 

Record  of  Flock   Hatched   February  1st 

RirHs  Miimher- 

Yield 
90  eggs 
845  eggs 
2,426  eggs 
2,776  eggs 
2,227  eggs 
3,272   eggs 

Gross  returns  to  December   1 $455.26 

Cost    of   feeding   160    pullets    from    August    1    (when    6 
months    old)     to    December    1,    at    $.009    per    day 

per   bird   175.68 

Net  profit  on  February  1st  pullets  to  December  1st....  279.58 
Profit  per  bird   to  December   1   1.747 

Record  of  Flock  Hatched  April  1st 

Birds  Number 

Month                               Banded  Molting  Yield 

September    16  None 


Month 

June    

Banded 
19 

Moltini 
None 

Auguit    

September    

October 

November    

125 

150 

:::;::::;::::::i^g 

12 
21 
34 
3 

-320 


8i)  eggs 
1,996  eggs 
7,491   eggs 

Gross  returns  to  December   1   $413.0S 

Cost  of  feeding  320   six-months-old   pullets  to  Decem- 
ber 1st  at  $.009   per  day  per  bird 175.68 

Net  profit  on  April   1st  pullets  to  December   1st 237.40 

Profit  per  bird   to  December   1   0.74 


3infi 


the 


A  54  egg  iien 


A  76  egg  hen 


A  SOS  egg  hen 


OUTLINES    PREPARED    (OFFICIAL)    TO    SHOW    TYPES  OF  GOOD  AND  POOR  LAVING  LEGHORN  HENS 

At  the  Second  Annual  Judging  and  Breeding  School,  New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  University, 
Ithaca.  N.  Y.,  July  7-12,  1919,  a  representative  gathering  of  the  officers  and  members  of  the  American  Association  of 
Instructors  and  Investigators  in  Poultry  Husbandry,  adopted  a  new  section  for  the  Official  Outline  to  judge  and  cull  layer- 
flocks  for  egg  production,  entitled  "Body  Capacity",  as  recommended  by  Dr.  O.  B.  Kent  of  the  Poultry  Department  at 
Cornell,  and  later  Dr.  Kent  sent  out  for  general  use  the  above  shape  outlines.  These  outlines  are  reproduced  from 
R.  P.  J.'s  new  and  profusely  illustrated  book,  "Profitable  Culling  and  Selective  Flock  Breeding."  The  object  of  the 
three  pictures  is  to  show  the  relation  between  body  capacity  (type)  and  egg  productiveness.  Hen  in  center  is  hopeless  as 
a  profitable  layer,  because  seriously  lacking  in  capacity.  Hen  on  the  right  has  both  capacity  and  quality — and  a  good  rec- 
ord follows  naturally.  The  truly  successful  poultry  keeper  must  know  how  to  cull  his  flocks  so  that  he  will  have  very 
few  of  the  first  and  second  types,  and  as  many  of  the  last  as  possible.  "Profitable  Culling  and  Selective  Flock  Breed- 
complete,  .down-to-date   information   on   every  practical  phase  of  this  important  subject. 


ing" 


Artificial  Lighting  of  Pacific  Coast  Poultry  Houses 

REPORTS  FROM  TWO  OF  THF  MANY  FAR-WESTERN  POULTRY  KEEPERS 
WHO  HAVE  FOUND  THAT  THE  WISE  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTS  IN 
THEIR  LAYING  HOUSES  BRINGS  PROFITABLE  RETURNS  IN  THE  WIN- 
TER MONTHS  WHEN  BIRDS  NORMALLY  LAY  FEW  EGGS  —  HOW  TO 
DIM  THE  LIGHTS  AND  SEND  THE  BIRDS  TO  ROOST  —  WHAT  AND 
WHEN    TO    FEED    BIRDS    CONFINED    IN     ARTIFICIALLY    LIGHTED    PENS 

By  MRS.  JEAN  A.  PATTERSON,  Richmond  Highlands,  Wash.,  and  MR.  HARRY  BEERNINK,  Lyndcn,  fFaih. 


S'OMETIME  ago,  at  our  request,  Mr.  George  Shoup, 
poultryman  Western  Washington  Experiment  Sta- 
I  tion,  Puyallup,  kindly  gave  us  the  names  of  a  few 
persons  who  were  using  artificial  lights  in  their  poultry 
houses,  and  we  wrote  to  several  of  them,  asking  them  to 
tell  R.  P.  J.  readers  their  experience  in  prolonging  the 
winter  days  for  their  poultry.  We  are  publishing  herewith 
the  replies  received  from  Mrs.  Jean  A.  Patterson  and  Mr. 
Harry  Beernink.    Mrs.  Patterson  wrote  as  follows: 

"We  do  not  use  lights  in  the  houses  containing  our 
breeding  birds,  but  only  in  the  pullet  house,  which  is  120 
feet  long  by  20  feet  wide.  In  it  we  use  six  40-watt  lights. 
"According  to  Mr.  Shoup's  method,  which  we  follow, 
the 'wet  mash  should  be  fed  at  5:30  p.  m.  and  the  kale 
should  not  be  brought  in  until  7:30.  On  account  of  our 
inability  to  obtain  hired  help,  which  leaves  my  sister  and 
myself  to  attend  the  fowls,  we  changed  the  Shoup  method 
and  feed  the  wet  mash  just  at  dusk,  so  that  the  birds  can 
see  to  eat  the  mash  from  the  trough,  which  is  on  the  out- 
side of  the  building,  before  the  lights  are  turned  on.  We 
have  found  that  each  bird  stands  a  better  chance  to  get 
a  few  bites  of  the  mash 
if  fed  just  before  dark. 
At  this  time  of  the 
year  it  is  dark  shortly 
after   five   o'clock. 

"At  5:30  we  bring  in 
the  kale  and  feel  repaid 
for  our  extra  work 
when  we  see  the  hap- 
piness of  our  600  beau- 
tiful pullets,  their  snovt-- 
white  plumage  and 
scarlet  combs  against 
the  green  of  the  kale, 
making  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture. 

"When  the  majority 
of  them  have  eaten  all 
they  desire  and  are  fly- 
ing to  their  perches, 
we  think  it  is  time  to 
turn  on  the  dimmers, 
which  we  leave  on  un- 
til all  are  settled — usu- 
ally  about    six   o'clock. 

"In  this  way  we  give 
the  hens  a  twelve-hour 
day.  We  know  of  oth- 
ers who  burn  the 
lights  until  after  8 
o'clock,  but  what  is  the 
use  if  most  of  the  hens 
have  gone  to  roost?  It 
seems  to  me  a  waste  of 
electiic  light.  Person- 
ally, I  cannot  imagine 
what  the  chicken  busi- 
ness would  be  like 
without  artificial  lights  as  we  have  used  them  since  we 
began  keeping  poultry." 

Upon  receipt  of  this  letter  from  Mrs.  Patterson  we 
wrote  asking  for  further  information  in  regard  to  the 
"dimmers"  she  mentioned,  and  in  due  course  received  a 
letter  saying: 

"In  order  to  be  absolutely  authentic  in  regard  to  the 
'dimmer'  system  used  at  the  Kinmont  White  Leghorn 
Farm,  I  asked  a  friend  of  mine,  who  is  an  authority  on 
50 


MR.    GEORGE   R.    SHOUP 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  R.  Shoup  are  earnest  workers  in  the  cause 
of  more  and  better  poultry  and  probably  were  the  originators  of 
■•comprehensive  poultry  coop  lighting."  Certain  it  is  that  they 
introduced  this  method  of  obtaining  winter  eggs  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and  now  thousands  of  poultrymen  there  are  profiting  by  using  their 
method  of  lighting  the  houses  and  feeding  the  birds.  Mr.  Shoup  is 
"poultrvman"  at  the  Western  Washington  Experiment  Station, 
Puyallup,  and  Mrs.  Shoup  is  "poultry  expert"  there.  See  article  by 
Mr.  Shoup  herewith,  also  further  details  of  his_method  of  lighting 
and  feeding  given  by  M 
companying  article. 


electricity,  for  some  help  and  he  has  kindly  prepared  the 
following  article  which  I  hope  will  be  of  assistance  lo 
others." 

Electrical  "Dimmers"  For  Poultry  Houses 

In  answer  to  your  request  for  information  on  electric 
light  dimmers,  the  following  may  be  of  interest: 

There  are  several  ways  in  which  electric  lamps  can  be 
dimmed.  The  electric  current  used  in  suburban  places 
practically  all  over  the  United  States  is  known  as  alter- 
nating current,  sixty-cycle.  A  sixty-cycle  current  is  one 
which  travels  backward  and  forward  in  the  circuit  regular- 
ly sixty  times  each  way  per  second.  In  the  central  parts 
of  some  cities,  the  current  is  direct,  that  is,  it  flows  always 
in  the  same  direction. 

In  the  case  of  direct  current,  the  only  practical  way 
to  dim  lamps  would  be  by  the  us  of  a  resistance  placed 
in  the  lamp  circuit.  This  system  is  also  applicable  to  alter- 
nating current  circuits  and  in  addition  another  system  can 
be  used  which  requires  the  use  of  an  auto-transformer,  be- 
ing a  simple  coil  wound  on  an  iron  core.  ^  The  first  sys- 
tem is  shown  in  figure  one.  This  is  the  simplest  system 
and  can  be  arranged  by  anyone  of  average  ability.  See  Fig. 
1.  "A"  shows  the  or- 
dinary lamps  of  the  cir- 
cuit in  the  poultry 
houses:  "B"  shows  the 
resistance  inserted  for 
dimming;  "C"  and  "D" 
are  the  lighting  mains 
from  the  company's 
service;  "E"  and  "F" 
are  the  lighting  circuii 
to  the  poultry  houses 
and  "K"  is  the  fuse 
block  which  accom- 
panies every  properly 
constructed  lighting 
circuit,  the  fuse  blow- 
ing in  case  of  a  short 
circuit  or  trouble  on 
t  h  e  lighting  circuit. 
This  fuse  block  is  a 
prevention  for  fire  and 
should  be  placed  close 
to   the  meter. 

The  simplest  form  is 
where  there  is  only  one 
lamp  at  ".A."  and  where 
the  resistance  at  "B" 
consists  of  a  single 
lamp  also.  It  is  plain 
that  the  current  must 
pass  through  both  "B" 
and  "A".  A  switch 
shown  at  "H"  is  con- 
nected around  the 
lamp  or  lamps  at  "B". 
When  this  switch  is 
in,  the  current  passes 
by  it,  leaving  the  lamp 
at  "B"  dark  and  lighting  the  lamps  at  "A"  to  full  brilliancy. 
When  the  switch  at  "H"  is  pulled,  the  lamps  at  "A"  are 
dimmed  because  the  current  must  now  pass  through  "B" 
also.  If  "A"  and  "B".  are  single  lamps  equal  in  size,  or  a 
number  of  lamps  equal  in  size,  or  if  the  wattage  marked 
on  the  lamps  at  "A"  aggregate  the  same  as  the  wattage 
marked  on  the  lamps  at  "B",  the  current  will  divide  equal- 
ly between  the  two  and  both  "A"  and  "B"  will  be  dimmed 
to  half  brilliancy.  For  instance,  if  there  is  a  40  and  a 
60-watt  lamp  at  "A"  and  a  single  100-watt  lamp  at  "B"  the 


MRS.    GEORGE   R    SHOUP 


the   ac- 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  OF  PACIFIC  COAST  POULTRY  HOUSES 


51 


resistance  of  the  two  will  be  the  same  in  the  aggregate  and 
they  will  be  at  half  brilliancy.  If,  now,  another  lamp  is 
added  at  "B",  it  offers  a  new  path  for  the  current  and  all 
lamps  at  "B"  will  fall  in  brilliancy  while  the  lamps  at  "A" 
will  rise  in  brilliancy.  If  the  lamps  are  unscrewed  .from 
th-eir  sockets  one  by  one  at  "B,"  the  lamps  at  "A"  will 
grow  dimmer  at  each  step.  The  lamps  may  be  unscrewed 
in  this  way  or  small  switches  may  be  arranged.  All  that 
the  whole  arrangement  then  needs  is  several  lamp  recep- 
tacles and  several  lamps  and  the  switch  "H."   Switch  "H" 


TO  line: 

K  |0    Ol  CUT  OUT 


SNAP  SWITCH 


FIGURE 


The  writer  will  be  glad  to  give  any  special  design  in 
answer  to  any  letter  but  the  layman  can  easily  make  up 
a  dimmer  from  the  following  information:  For  the  par- 
ticular current  named  above,  the  square  inches  cross  sec- 
tion of  the  core  multiplied  by  the  number  of  turns  of  wire 
equals  800.  The  most  convenient  size  of  core  would  be  a 
round  one,  as  it  fits  into  a  smaller  tube.  A  square  core  lj4 
in.  by  IJ^  in.  gives  214  square  inches  area  and  dividing 
this  into  800  gives  355  turns  of  wire  to  wind  on  the  tube. 
If  the  core  were  2  in.  by  2  in.,  or  4  square  inches,  it  would 
only  require  200  turns. 

This  design  is  so  far  entirely  independent  of  the  num- 
ber of  lamps  to  be  used  as  this  is  taken  care  of  entirely 
by  the  size  of  wire,  that  is,  the  more  lamps  or  the  greater 
their  size,  the  larger  will  be  the  wire  required.  The  size 
of  core  and  number  of  turns  may  be  varied  as  desired,  but 
V/i  in.  to  2  in.  square  or  the  same  area  of  round  core  12 
inches  long  will  be  found  to  be  economical  and  neat  in 
appearance,  the  larger  core  being  preferable.  The  wire  Is 
preferably  bunched  together  in  the  center  of  the  tube  and 


The  drawing  above  represents  "the  basic  idea  in  dim- 
ming' (electric  lights)  for  any  purpose."  This  drawing  and 
Fig.  2  were  furnished  by  an  electrician  to  illustrate  meth- 
ods of  dimming  electric  lights  in  poultry  houses  so  that 
the  birds  will  go  to  roost  in  the  artificial  "twilight"  thus 
produced.  For  description  see  article  herewith.  Nature  sends 
birds  (including  our  domestic  fowls)  "to  bed"  while  it  is 
yet  light  enough  for  them  to  see  to  settle  themselves  com- 
fortably for  the  night.  If  the  brilliantly  lighted  pen  were 
suddenly  plunged  in  darkness  by  turning  out  the  lights, 
the  birds  would  be  frightened,  could  not  find  their  way  to 
the  proper  roosts  and  undoubtedly  the  egg  yield  would 
show  the  effects,  hence  the  necessity  for  producing  arti- 
ficial twilight  as  well  as  artificial  daylight. 

is  required  on  normal  operation  in  order  that  no  current 
be  wasted  unnecessarily  through  lamps  at  "B"  as  the  dim- 
mer is  only  used  for  a  short  time. 

Figure  1  represents  the  basic  idea  in  dimmers  for  any 
purpose.  For  greater  convenience  and  neatness,  since  the 
lamps  at  "B"  are  usually  placed  in  the  home  and  the  dim- 
mer is  operated  from  there,  another  method  may  be  used 
on  alternating  current.  Since  almost  all  circuits  are  sup- 
plied at  60  cycle  and  110  volts,  the  apparatus  shown  in 
Fig.  2  is  computed  for  this  particular  kind  of  current.  It 
allows,  however,  of  a  considei.able  variation  of  voltage, 
the  only  difference  between  it  and 
Fig.  1  being  that  no  lamps  are  used 
at  "B",  this  being  replaced  by  an 
autotransformer  or  resistance  coil. 
This  coil  may  be  wound  on  the  cen- 
ter of  a  mailing  tube  about  one  foot 
long.  An  iron  core,  also  about  one 
foot  long,  is  slid  backward  and  for- 
ward inside  this  coil  to  produce  the 
dimming  effect.  It  is  totally  with- 
drawn during  normal  operation  of  the 
lamps  and  does  not  then  appreciably 
affect  their  brilliancy.  As  it  is  insert- 
ed, however,  into  the  tube,  the  lamps 
are  gradually  dimmed  until  when  it  is 
totally  inserted,  the  lamps  have  gone 
out.  Withdrawing  the  core  gradually 
raises  the  lamps  to  full  brilliancy. 

The  core  should  be  made  of  the 
sheet  iron  used  by  any  electrical 
house  for  the  repair  of  transformers, 
but  if  this  is  not  available,  it  can  be 
made  from  ordinary  stovepipe  iron 
cut  on  a  square  shears  by  a  tinsmith 
and  the  plates  piled  up  and  riveted 
together  or  simply  bound  with  tape. 
The  core  is  most  conveniently  made 
square,  but  it  is  not  difficult  to  vary 
the  width  of  the  sheets  so  as  to 
make  an  approximation  to  a  round 
core  which,  of  course,  fits  the  mailing 
tube  better.   It  should  be  loose  enough  ^   ,,     ,  ,.   ,  . 

to  slide  in  and  out  easily.  If  it  is  Mrs  Jea^n  pftterso'r 
merely  taped  together,  it  should  be  electric  lights  in  thi 
bound  tight  to  prevent  any  noise  from  in  the  house  contaii 
vibration.  lights  to  allow  the 


TO  LINE 


K  [00]    CUT  OUT 


MAIN  LINE  SWITCH 


METER  I  Cj^     ^  SNAP  SWITCH 


SNAP  SWITCH 

figure:  a 


This  apparatus  is  designed  to  be  used  with  a  current 
of  110  volts.  The  difference  between  this  method  of  "dim- 
ming" the  electric  lights  and  that  shown  in  Fig.  1  is  care- 
fully explained  on  this  page. 

may  be  wound  between  cardboard  disks  glued  to  the  tube. 
These  can  be  placed  about  3  or  4  inches  apart.  The  wire 
is  wound  by  hand  and  successive  layers  are  best  separ- 
ated by  a  layer  of  paper. 

In  choosing  a  size  of  wire,  every  electrician  or  every 
commercial  house  selling  cotton-covered  magnet  wire  has 
a  set  of  tables  giving  the  sizes  in  commercial  use  in  Brown 


jre  of  the  interior  of  the  pullet  laying-house  belonging  to 
Richmond  Highlands,  Wash.,  who  has  found  the  use  of 
laying  house  decidedly  profitable.  She  does  not  use  them 
ing  her  breeding  pens.  For  her  method  of  "dimming"  the 
lirds  to  find   their  way   to   roost,   see   accompanying   article. 


52 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


and  Sharpe's  gauge.  These  tables  give  the  area  cross  sec- 
tion of  the  wire  in  circular  mills,  the  unit  that  is  used  ex- 
actly as  the  layman  speaks  of  square  inches.  All  lamps  are 
marked  as  to  their  capacity  in  watts  and  this  is  shown 
on  the  label  of  each  lamp.  The  sizes  most  apt  to  be  used 
would  be  25  W.  to  100  W.  Allow  9  circular  mills  area  of 
wire  for  each  watt  used.  Thus  ten  50-watt  lamps  connected 
to  the  dimmer  would  aggregate  500  watts  and  at  9  cir- 
cular mills  per  watt  would  require  a  wire  of  4,000  circular 
mills.  Looking  this  up  in  the  wire  table,  we  find  that 
No.  14  is  the  nearest  size.  This  should  preferably  be  dou- 
ble cotton  covered.  This  wire,  properly  wound,  gives  190 
turns  per  square  inch  and  the  spool  may  be  made  ac- 
cordingly. 

A  dimmer  for  any  number  of  lamps  may  be  made 
from  the  above  by  merely  changing  the  size  of  wire.  This 
design  is  liberal  and  for  half  an  hour  twice  the  number 
of  lamps  may  be  carried  with  safety.  The  heating  of  the 
coil  is  the  only  limit  to  capacity.  The  design  is  also  good 
for  a  considerable  variation  in  the  cycles  or  in  the  volt- 
age, being  well  adapted  for  voltages  up  to  12S.  It  is  much 
easier  to  construct  and  much  neater  than  an  equivalent 
number  of  lamp  sockets  and  lamps  used  as  a  resistance, 
and  unlike  xne  lamps,  it  wastes  very  little  current.  It  can 
be   placed   close   to   the   meter.    Any   lamp   receptacles   or 


A  flock  of  happv  ^^  hitc  L,e§hurns  in  an  artificially  lighted  house 
where  they  pay  then  owner.  Mi.  Harry  Beernink,  Lynden,  Wash.,  a 
handsome  profit  m  return  for  his  care  and  the  prolongation  of  their 
working-  day  by  the  use  of  electric  lights  in  their  laying  house.  See 
accompanying  article  for  description  of  Mr.  Beernink's  method  of  feed- 
ing and  the  excellent  results  he  has  obtained. 


dimmer  coil  should  always  be  put  in  a  dry  place,  prefer- 
ably with  a  thin  sheet  of  asbestos  pipe  between  it  and  any 
wood. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  applications  of  electric- 
ity for  the  poultry  house  which  anyone  with  reasonable 
mechanical  skill  can  construct  in  a  few  hours.  Tempera- 
ture can  be  controlled  in  air  or  water  closer  than  by  any 
other  combination  and  at  the  same  time  much  more  con- 
veniently. The  possibilities  of  these  in  some  cases  depend 
on  the  cost  of  current.  A  little  study  along  these  lines  is 
well  worth  the  trouble. 

Mr.  Beernink  is  "Lighting"  1,000  Pullets 

In  November  Mr.  Harry  Beernink  of  Lynden,  Wash  , 
in  response  to  an  inquiry  from  us,  replied  as  follows: 

"We  are  now  using  artificial  lights  for  our  fourth  win- 
ter and  are  lighting  a  thousand  pullets  which  have  been 
laying  66  per  cent  since  the  middle  of  October.  From  this 
you  will  readily  see  what  a  valuable  thing  the  lights  are, 
considering  the  present  price  of  eggs. 

"I   feel   absolutely   certain   that  you  can   increase  the 
October,  November,  December  and  January  production  of 
March,  April  and  May-hatched  pullets  30  per  cent  by  the       ha\ 
aid  of  artificial  lights. 


"I  do  not  think  it  advisable,  however,  to  use  lights 
for  breeding  hens,  with  the  possible  exception  of  about  ten 
days  to  get  them  started  to  laying,  then  gradually  ease 
off.  If  lights  are  used  much  on  breeders  (the  second  year) 
they  will  have  done  their  best  laying  prior  to  hatching 
time. 

"I  can  see  no  harmful  effects  when  using  hens  as 
breeders  that  have  been  in  artificially  lighted  pens  during 
their  pullet  year. 

"Care  must  be  used  not  to  overdo  the  lighting,  as 
good  birds  can  be  brought  up  to  80  per  cent  production 
for  a  SHORT  TIME,  but  nature  has  so  ordained  matters 
that  if  you  force  Biddy  more  than  she  is  able  to  stand, 
she  will  go  into  a  false  molt  for  a  month  or  six  weeks. 

"When  birds  are  held  to  60  to  65  per  cent  production 
for  the  winter  months  there  is  not  much  danger  of  this 
false  molt  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  go  be- 
low 50  per  cent  production  for  the  spring  and  summer, 
providing  the  birds  have  been  bred  for  eggs.  To  secure 
this  increased  egg  production  it  behooves  breeders  to  pro- 
duce as  strong  and  vigorous  pullets  as  possible. 

"Having  longer  days,  it  is  of  course  possible  to  make 
the  birds  consume  much  more  feed,  and  if  they  have  the 
constitution   that    can   stand   up    under   the 
heavier  feeding,  they  are  bound  to  produce 
eggs  accordingly. 

When  to  Use  Artificial  Lights  and  What 
to  Feed  the  Birds 
"My  method  of  feeding  is  very  nearly 
the  same  as  that  carried  on  by  my  friend, 
Mr.  George  R.  Shoup,  of  the  Western 
Washington  Experiment  Station.  He  is  an 
'old-timer'  in  the  use  of  artificial  lighting 
and  was  the  originator  of  this  method  out 
here,  so  far  as  I  know. 

"Even  the  amateur  realizes  that  if  we 
could  reproduce  the  long,  warm,  sunshiny 
days  of  spring,  with  its  green  grass  and 
insect  life,  during  the  cold  days  of  winter, 
Biddy  would  respond  by  laying.  In  the 
spring  and  summer  she  is  up  at  5:00  a.  m. 
and  goes  to  roost  at  8:00  p.  m.  with  a  full 
crop,  having  done  her  duty  in  the  produc- 
tion of  an  egg.  In  winter  she  does  not  get 
off  the  roost  until  seven  or  eight  and  goes 
to  roost  before  four  o'clock,  having  only 
an  eight  or  nine-hour  day  in  place  of 
fifteen.  It  follows  that  she  cannot  consume 
as  much  feed  nor  produce  as  many  eggs. 

"We  can  overcome  the  lack  of  light  by 
using  artificial  lights  and  we  can  imitate  the 
food,  the  result  being  an  increase  in  egg 
production  that  means  a  large  profit  for  the 
poultry  keeper. 

"We  begin  using  artificial  lights  by 
October  first  and  the  pullets  are  housed  in 
roomy,  dry,  well-lighted,  well-ventilated  quarters,  with  six 
to  ten  inches  of  good  litter  on  the  floor,  which  is  change"! 
as  often  as  it  becomes  damp.  In  this  climate  we  prefer  a 
laying  house  20  feet  wide,  with  a  Syi  to  4  foot  open  front, 
with  muslin  or  ducking  curtains  and  good  ventilators  m 
the  roof. 

"If  electricity  is  available,  use  it  by  all  means;  other- 
wise use  whatever  is  available,  either  kerosene  or  gaso- 
line lamps  or  lanterns.  Just  as  good  results  can  be  ob- 
tained, but  the  latter  require  more  care  and  attention.  The 
accompanying  picture,  which  was  taken  at  eight  o'clock  on 
a  December  night,  shows  a  76-foot  by  20-foot  laying 
house  equipped  with  five  60-watt  lamps,  hanging  three  feet 
from  the  floor.  The  two  nearest  the  camera  had  to  be 
hung  out  of  the  way  in  taking  the  picture.  If  good  gaso- 
line lamps  with  good  reflectors  are  used,  four  would  be 
sufficient  for  this  size  of  house.  If  the  interior  of  the 
house,  including  the  roof,  is  thoroughly  whitewashed,  it 
will  increase  the  light  15  per  cent.  It  is  well  to  mention 
that  the  lighting  must  be  done  regularly,  because  if  you 
use  light  one  morning  and  fail  to  do  it  the  next,  the  result 
is  harmful. 

The  lights  should  be  turned  off  at 


:00  p.  m.    If  yoit 
100  laying  Leghorn  pullets,  at  5:45  give  them  afcout 
(Continued  on  page  57) 


Early  "Lighting  System"  Tests  in  Eastern  Territory 
on  Goiiimercial  Basis 

THOSE  REPORTED  HERE  WERE  MADE  IN  ERIE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK,  IN 
FALL  OF  1916  AND  WINTER  OF  1916-1917  —  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  ILLUMINA- 
TION HAD  BEEN  TESTED  PREVIOUSLY  WITH  SURPRISINGLY  GOOD  RE- 
SULTS BY  J.  P.  JORDAN,  AT  SUNNY  CREST  POULTRY  FARM  (NEAR  EAST 
AURORA,  ERIE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK)  DURING  WINTER  OR  SPRING  OF 
!915,  PERHAPS  BEFORE  THAT  —  CHART  NO.  1  AND  TABULATED  REPORT 
HERE  PUBLISHED  WERE  SUBMITTED  TO  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  POUL- 
TRY    INSTRUCTORS     AND     I^WESTIGATORS      IN     1917    BY     H.     S.     MOSELEY 

Report  By  EDITOR  of  R.  P.  J. 


WHILE  at  Sunny  Crest  Poultry  Farm,  near  East 
Aurora,  N.  Y.,  February  4th,  this  year,  we 
were  particularly  interested  in  facts  brought  to 
our  attention  about  the  extensive  use  of  artificial  illumi- 
nation in  Erie  County,  N.  Y.  (East  Aurora  and  Buffalo  are 
located  in  this  county)  for  increasing  winter  egg  produc- 
tion during  the  fall  and  winter  months  each  season  when 
new-laid  eggs  command  the  highest  market  prices  year 
after  year  and  will  pay  best,  provided  they  can  be  ob- 
tained in  sufficient  numbers  per  hen,  per  hundred  head,  or 
per  thousand  head.  In  last  month's  issue  of  R.  P.  J., 
beginning  on  page  134,  we  told  our  readers  what  Sunny 
Crest  Farm  is  aiming  to  produce  in  the  form  of  S.  C. ' 
White  Leghorns  that  will  yield  the  largest  "net  income 
per  bird  developed  from  all  sources";  in  this  issue  we  are 
pleased  to  make  a  general  report  of  facts  given  us  at 
Sunny  Crest  Farm  about  the  use  of  artificial  illumination 
for  increasing  winter  egg  production,  not  only  on  this 
plant  but  on  numerous  other  poultry  plants  and  ordinary 
farms   (for  farm  flocks)  throughout  Erie  County. 

Herewith  is  shown  a  recent  likeness  of  R.  S.  Moseley, 
manager  of  Sunny  Crest  Poultry  Farm  and  Secretary  of 
the  Sunny  Crest  Farm  Company,  Inc.  Mr.  Moseley  en- 
tered Cornell  University  in  1906,  where  he  took  the  full 
poultry  course.  Later  he  served  there  as  an  instructor. 
He  began  field  extension  poultry  work  in  1912  under  direc- 
tion of  the  University,  as  part  of  the  States  Relations 
Seivice,  in  cooperation  with  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture.  What  now  is  known  as  the  Cornell  Poultry 
Project  Work  was  started  in  1915,  under  the  personal  di- 
rection of  Prof.  James  E.  Rice,  head  of  the  Poultry  De- 
partment of  Cornell  University,  and  Mr.  Moseley  was 
sent  to  Erie  County  to  take  charge.  Asked  how  Erie 
County  happened  to  be  selected  for  beginning  this  im- 
portant project,  Mr.  Moseley  replied,  in  substance: 

"I  believe  credit  is  due  Mr.  W.  L.  Markham,  County 
Agricultural  Agent  for  Erie  County,  a  man  who  always 
is  looking  for  something  new  and  better.  The  idea  of 
this  project  had  been  in  Prof.  Rice's  mind  for  some  time 
before  1915.  Our  first  members  were  composed  largely 
of  fanciers  and  utility  men — that  is.  regular  poultrymen, 
as  they  might  be  called;  but  later  general  farm  flocks  were 
included  in  the  project,  and  with  good  success.  Practically 
every  farm  that  started  the  project  work  is  still  in  ex- 
istence and  this  last  winter,  1918-1919,  they  were  operated 
at  full  capacity.  In  numerous  instances  the  use  of  arti- 
ficial illumination  on  these  project  farms  is  known  to  have 
saved  them  financially,  in  the  period  of  high-cost  feeds." 

Early  Test  in  Erie  County 

Mr.  Moseley  first  became  interested  in  the  lighting 
system  on  account  of  results  obtained  from  its  use  at 
Sunny  Crest  Farm  by  J.  P.  Jordan,  owner  of  the  Sunny 
Crest  plant.  As  stated  in  our  report  last  month,  Mr.  Jor- 
dan is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  C.  E.  Knoeppel  &  Co., 
Inc.,    industrial    engineers,    New    York    City,    and    Sunny 


Crest  Farm  was  his  country  home.  Mr.  Jordan  began  use 
of  the  lighting  system  in  1915,  so  Mr.  Moseley  stated, 
trying  it  on  a  few  pens,  starting  the  lights  at  5:00  a.  m. 
and  keeping  them  on  during  the  winter  days  till  8:30  p. 
m.  We  do  not  understand  that  they  were  kept  on  all 
day,  because  at  that  time  they  had  the  same  electric 
lighting  system  now  used  by  them,  which  turns  on  the 
lights  automatically  by  clock  work  and  shuts  them  off  in 
the  same  manner,  as  per  the  wishes  of  the  operator.  At 
that  time  Sunny  Crest  Farm  was  included  among  the 
Cornell  Project  plants  in  Erie  County  and  Mr.  Jordan  told 
Mr.  Moseley  that  within  a  month  after  he  first  tried  the 
artificial  illumination  on  a  few  pens  the  increase  was  such 
that  he  put  lights 
on  the  entire 
plant.  Said  Mr. 
Moseley,  in  sub- 
stance: 

"In  the  winter 
season  of  1915- 
.1916,  Sunny 
Crest  Farm, 
from  2400  S.  C. 
White  Leghorn 
pullets  got  as 
high  as  1600  eggs 
in  a  single  day. 
This  result  never 
before  had  been 
approached  with- 
out the  use  of 
lights.  Here  at 
Sunny  Crest  we 
are  in  a  cold  la- 
titude. Notwith- 
standing this,  the 
use  of  the  lights 
greatly  increased 
the  egg  yield, 
and  it  developed 
that  Sunny  Crest, 
back  in  1916 
(winter  of  1915- 
1916),  got  the 
highest  yield 
from  these  same 
fowls  in  the 
April  following. 
No,  the  use  of 
lights    does    not 

appear  to  affect  the  vigor  of  the  stock.  Each  year  the 
birds  under  the  lights,  both  here  at  Sunny  Crest  and  at 
other  plants  in  Erie  County,  are  apparently  just  as  w:ll 
off  in  June  as  though  they  had  not  been  under  lights." 

In  the  summer  of  1917  (we  believe  this  is  correct  as 
to  time)  Mr.  Moseley  took  two  charts  with  him  to  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  American  Association  of  Instruc- 
tors and  Investigators  in  Poultry  Husbandry,  held  in  the 
East — said  charts  showing  the  remarkably  favorable  re- 
sults of  the  use  of  artificial  illumination,  the  contents  of 
which  charts  are  published  herewith.  Chart  No.  1  showed 
results  obtained  at  Sunny  Crest  Farm  during  November 
18  to  December  16,  1916,  and  Chart  No.  2  (shown  in  tabu- 
lated form,  page  55)  showed  results  obtained  on  the 
Harry  Yates'  farm,   Erie   County,  January  10-February  9 

S8 


MOSELEY,   East  Au 


Formerly  instructor  and  field  pro- 
ject supervisor,  Department  of  Poul- 
try Husbandry,  New  York  State 
College  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, Ithaca.  N.  Y.;  now  manager 
of  Sunny  Crest  Poultry  Farm,  East 
Aurora,  N.  Y.,  and  secretary  of 
Sunny,  Crest  Farm,  Inc. 


54 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


inclusive,  1917.    See  Chart  No.  1  on  following  page. 

Referring  to  Chart  No.  1,  which  gives  a  record  of  the 
egg  yield  of  875  one,  two  and  three-year  old  hens  from  the 
18th  of  November  to  the  16th  of  December  inclusive,  1916, 
the  row  of  figures  across  the  top  are  the  days  of  the 
months  in  November  and  December  that  are  covered  by 
this  chart,  and  the  figures  at  the  left-hand  side  (to  be 
read  from  the  bottom  up)  represent  the  percentage  of  egg 
yield  to  the  number  of  fowls,  as  shown  by  the  actual  egg 
yield  that  -is  given  in  the  different  squares,  following  the 


EI.ECTRIO   lilGHTIXG    PLANT   AT    SUNNY    CREST    POUIiTRY    FARM.    E.\ST    AURORA,    N.    Y. 

In  many  localities  poultry  plants  can  obtain  electricity  from  city  or  village  municipal  plants. 
Where   this   is   impractical   an   independent   plant  can  be  installed  at  reas 
large   plants   that   are   well   equipped   otherwise.    At  Sunny  Crest  they  us 
and  mixing  feed,  also  for  lighting  the  residence,  offices,  work-shop,  etc. 

production  line,  which  line  starts  with.  11  eggs  at  the 
low  r  left-hand  corner  of  the  chart,  produced  November 
18th,  and  finishes  with  400  eggs  that  were  gathered  from 
these  hens  December  16th,  as  shown  in  the  upper  right- 
hand  corner  of  the  chart. 

The  daily  egg  yield  is  shown  by  the  numbers  given  in 
each  square  on  the  production  line  here  referred  to. 

The  figures  along  the  bottom  of  the  chart  represent: 
first,  from  1  to  11  inclusive,  the  first  11  days  of  the  ex- 
periment, while  the  figures  farther  to  the  right,  1  to  18 
inclusive,  represent  the  balance  of  the  period  shown  on 
this  chart,  starting  ten  days  AFTER  the  lights  were 
turned  on  (lights  were  turned  on  November  19th)  and 
continuing  to  the  end  of  the  period  covered  by  this  chart, 
viz;  December  16th. 

Effective  in  About  Ten  Days 

Mr.Moseley  stated  that  as  a  rule  it  takes  ten  days 
to  two  weeks  (depending  partly  on  the  age  or  condition 
of  the  birds,  also  partly  on  housing  quarters  and  the  state 
of  the  weather)  for  the  lighting  system  to  show  the 
hoped-for  increased  production.  This  chart  sustains  that 
point.  It  was  the  eleventh  day,  in  this  case,  before  the 
incr  ased  production  took  place,  or  on  November  29th, 
as  per  the  chart,  on  which  date  49  eggs  were  laid,  as  com- 
pared with  20  eggs  the  day  before.  Then  the  increase  was 
rapid— fi  cm  49  eggs  on  the  29th  to  78  on  the  30th;  113  on 
December  1st;  193  on  December  2nd;  260  on  December 
3rd;  317  on  December  4th;  and  so  on  up  to  456  eggs  by 
December  8th.     That  was  "going  some,"  as  the  saying  is. 

But  the  skeptical  reader  will  say:  "Probably  those 
identical  hens  would  have  laid  just  as  well  at  this  particu- 


lar time  under  the  existing  conditions,  if  the  lights  had 
not  been  placed  on  them,  etc."  This  does  not  appear  to  be 
true,  however,  as  may  be  learned  by  a  study  of  the 
tabulated  report,  marked  Chart  No.  2.  These  two  charts, 
so  Mr.  Moseley  stated,  created  more  or  less  of  a  sensa- 
tion when  he  presented  them  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Association  of  Poultry  Instructors  and  Investigators. 
Those  present  were  skeptical,  or  at  least  a  large  majority 
of  them  were — perhaps  because  it  looked  too  good  to  be 
true!    And  that  would  be  a  natural  point  of  view. 

Next  we  come  to 
Chart  No.  2,  (in 
tabulated  form) 
which  shows  a  com- 
parison of  lights 
and  no  lights  as  ap- 
plied to  birds  of  the 
same  age,  for  the 
same  period,  under 
the  same  conditions 
and  fed  and  cared 
for  alike,  as  near  as 
this  could  be  done 
in  practical  manage- 
ment. Here  420  pul- 
lets were  used,  one- 
sixth  of  the  number 
being  put  under 
lights  and  the  re- 
mainder being  car- 
ried along  in  the 
normal  way  on  a 
well  -  equipped  and 
well-managed  poul- 
try plant,  which  was 
owned  by  Harry 
Yates,  a  man  finan- 
cially able  to  "do 
things  right,"  so  to 
speak.  John  Caster- 
line,  an  experienced 
poultryman,  is  his 
superintendent,  and 
had  charge  of  the 
experiment  shown 
by  Chart  No.  2 
herewith.  The  work 
was  conducted  :;i 
such  way  that  Mr. 
Moseley  was  kept 
quite  well  informed 
about  methods  and 
results,  and  he  vouches  for  the  fairness  of  this  test  as  to 
the  selection  of  pullets  of  apparently  equal  age,  size, 
health,  etc.,  as  representing  the  70  that  were  put  under 
lights,  as  compared  with  the  350  that  were  not. 

Chart  No.  2  (here  presented  as  a  tabulation)  is  exact- 
ly as  Mr.  Moseley  presented  it  to  the  meeting  of  the  As- 
sociation of  Poultry  Instructors  and  Investigators,  except 
that  we  have  taken  the  liberty  of  adding  two  columns  of 
percentages,  one  showing  the  per  cent  of  the  egg  yield  day 
by  day  for  the  350  birds  and  the  other  showing  the  same 
thing  for  the  70  birds,  day  by  day.  As  before  stated,  the 
420  birds  were  housed  alike  and  given  the  same  general 
care,  pains  being  taken  to  assure  all  birds  in  both  lots 
the  same  opportunity  for  production,  except  that  the  70 
pullets  were  placed  under  lights  while  the  350  pullets  had 
the  benefit  of  daylight  only.  Must  add,  however,  that  at 
this  writing  we  do  not  know  whether  the  350  pullets  were 
housed  together  as  one  flock  or  were  divided  into  several 
flocks — perhaps  five  flocks — 70  birds  to  each  flock,  al- 
though we  think  that  if  the  350  birds  had  been  in  one 
flock^Mr.  Moseley  would  have  mentioned  it.  It  is  gener- 
ally agreed  that  smaller  flocks  lay  somewhat_  better  than 
large  flocks,  under  identically  the  same  conditions  other- 
wise. We  shall  clear  up  this  point  for  later  use  in  R.  P. 
J.'s  forthcoming  book  on  the  use  pf  artificial  illumination 
for  increasing  winter  egg  production. 

(NOTE:  Under  date  October  16,  1919,  Mr.  Moseley,  gen- 
eral manager  of  Sunny  Crest  Farm,  wrote  editor  of  R.  P.  J. 
as  follows:  "There  were  350  pullets  in  one  flock.  The  70 
pullets  had  one-sixth  as  much  floor  space  as  was  given  to 
the  350  pullets."  At  this  same  time  (October  16,  1919)  Mr. 
Moseley  wrote  as  follows,  with  reference  to  the  table  here- 


EARLY  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  TESTS  IN  EASTERN  TERRIT  ORY 


18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

:o 

u 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

55 

456 

«?? 

453 

*A 

50 

f 

^ 

440 

428 

4iV 

\/ 

/ 

398 

389/ 

400 

40 

317 

3K 

y 

?: 

;»K 

g    JO 

L/ 

°     20 

L 

'7 

/ 

7sf 

49/ 

/ 

a 

IL 

10_ 

Jt 

10^ 

jO_ 

11. 

14_ 

^ 

Jl- 

18 

» 

/ 

10       11 


2        3 


5        6 


12       13        14       15 


17       18 


CHAKT    1 CURVE    OF   EGG    PRODUCTION    IN   FLOCK    OF  875  LEGHORN  HENS  UNDER  ARTIFICIAL  ILLUMINATION 

The  figures  on  the  left  represent  increase  of  percentage,  while  those  across  the  bottom  represent  days  of  the  month. 
Starting  with  a  total  production  of  11  eggs  on  November  18th,  the  production  line  shows  in  graphic  manner  the  per- 
centage of  daily  production  up  to  and  including  December  16th.  These  Sunny  Crest  Leghorn  hens  were  placed  under 
artificial  lighting  on  November  18th.  As  will  be  seen,  illumination  showed  practically  no  effect  until  December  1st, 
when  the  egg  yield  more  than  doubled  over  the  preceding  day,  and  in  10  days  increased  from  2%  to  over  50  per  cent, 
or  from  20  to  456  eggs.     The  actual  number  of  eggs  produced  daily  is  given  in  each  square. 


with,  which  gives  the  egg  yield  of  the  350  pullets  not  illumi- 
nated and  egg  yield  of  the  70  pullets  that  were  illuminated 
"On  January  29th — nineteen  days  from  the  time  the  lights 
were  turned  on,  the  70  pullets  laid  five  more  eggs  th; 
the   350.") 


an 


In  the  foregoing  test,  as  set  forth  in  tabulated  form, 
the  Cornell  laying  ration  was  fed  in  equal  amounts  per 
fowl  to  both  lots  throughout  the  period  covered  by  this 
report. 

Chart  2— Production  of  Flock  of  420  S.  C.  White  Leghorn 
Pullets  Hatched  in  April  and  May  (1917),  Hillhurst 
Farm,  Orchard  Park,  N.  Y. 
Prior  to  January  10th,  70  Pullets   (One-Sixth  of  the 
Flock)    Were   Separated   From   the   Rest   and   Their   Pen 
Illuminated.    This   Record   of   Production    Covers   Period 
From  January  10th  to  February  9th  (1918)  Inclusive. 
CHART  2 
Not  Illnmlnated 
Eggs  laid     Per  cent 
by  350  of  pro- 

pullets         duction 

...71 20.3 

...75 21.4 


January  10 
January  11 

January  12  86. 

January  13  74. 

January  14  74. 

January  15  74. 

January  16  73. 

January  17  60 17.1 

January  18  64.... 

January  19  62.... 

Tanuary  20  51.... 

January  21  56.... 

January  22  68.... 

lanuary  23  45.... 

lanuary  24  72.... 

January  25  52.... 

January  26  59.... 

January  27  55.... 

January  28  64.... 

January  29  50.... 

January  30  57.... 


Illnmljiated 

Eggs  laid       Per  cent 
by  70  of  pro- 

pullets  duction 

18 25.7 

20 28.6 


..46.. 

..52 

..55 


January  31 
February  1 
February  2 
February  3  . 
Februaiy  4  . 
February  5  . 

February  6  63.. 

February  7  57.. 

February  8  63.. 

February  9  72.. 


24  6 

12 

17  1 

21.1 

21.1 

.21.1    . 

16.... 

18.... 

22 

22.9 

25.7 

31  4 

.21 

.17.1 

18.3 

21.... 

24.... 

...     27.... 

30. 

34.4 

38  6 

.17.7 

14.6 

.16 

19.4 

29.... 

23.... 

30.... 

32    . 

41.4 

32.9 

42.9 

45  7 

.12.9 

20.6 

.14.9 

39... 

42.... 

48 

57.1 

60. 

68  6 

16.9 

42.  . 

60 

15.7 

18.3 

46.... 

...47 

65.7 

671 

14  3 

55 

78  6 

16.3 

13  1 

48.... 

37 

68.6 

52  9 

14.9 

55 

78  6 

15.7 

17.1 

42.... 

... .  SO 

60. 

71  4 

IS.l 

15.4 

18. 

50.... 

39... 

43 

71.4 

55.6 

61  4 

16.3 

18 

20.6 

52... 

44.... 

40.... 

74.3 

62.9 

57.1 

Total  eggs  1917 1108 

Average  per  cent  of  production  17.65 51.1 

Value  of  eggs  $83.04 $47.01 

Eggs  from  Jan.  24-Feb.  9  1084 790 

Average  per  cent  of  production  18.22 _  63.53 

Value  of  eggs  ■. $46.95 $34.11 

Cost  of  feed  Jan.  24-Feb.  9 $56.00 $11.04 

Net  loss  above  cost  of  feed $  9.05 

Net  gain  above  cost  of  feed $23.07 

Earned  Three  Times  as  Much 

The  total  of  eggs  laid  by  the  350  pullets,  January  10- 
February  9  inclusive,  was  1917,  which  at  the  current  prices 
were  worth  $83.04;  the  total  number  of  eggs  laid  in  this 
period  by  the  70  pullets  was  1108,  the  market  value  of 
which  was  $47.01.  The  350  pullets  (five  times  70  pullets) 
laid  only  809  more  eggs  than  the  70  pullets  under  lights. 
During  this  period  each  pullet  in  the  350  earned  23  2-3 
cents  (average)  in  market  value  of  eggs  produced,  whereas 
each  of  the  70  pullets  under  lights  earned  69  cents,  as 
figured  on  this  basis. 

In  this  experiment,  we  find  that  the  pullets  under 
lights  did  not  respond  FULLY,  as  compared  with  their 
mates  that  were  not  under  lights,  until  the  end  of  about 
two  weeks.  In  othei  words,  the  70  pullets  were  placed 
under  lights  January  10th,  on  whi,ch  date  they  produced 
25.7  per  cent  of  eggs  and  after  that  the  percentage  mounts 
up  slowly  for  ten  or  twelve  days,  but  reached  a  60  per  cent 
yield  the  twenty-fourth  day,  just  two  weeks  after  the 
lights  were  put  on  them.  However,  a  large  increase  was 
obtained  by  the  ninth  day.  Compare  these  percentages, 
day  by  day,  with  those  credited  to  the  350  pullets  that 
were  not  under  lights. 

Next  Mr.  Moseley  made  a  comparison  of  the  egg 
yield  of  the  two  lots  of  fowls  from  November  24th  to  De- 
cember 16th  inclusive,  at  which  time  the  70  pullets  were 
responding  liberally  to  the  lights — so  it  appeared,  and  he 
also  compared  the  feed  cost  on  the  basis  of  egg  yield. 

From  January  24-February  9  inclusive,  the  350  pul- 
lets laid  1,084  eggs,  while  during  this  same  time  the  70 
pullets  (one-fifth  as  many)  laid  790  eggs,  a  difference  of 
only  294  eggs  in  favor  of  the  350  pullets.  The  market 
value  of  the  1,084  eggs  during  this  period  was  $46.95, 
whereas  the  market  value  of  790  eggs  laid  by  the  70  pul- 


56 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


lets  was  $34.11,  a  difference  of  $12.84  in  favor  of  the  350 
pullets,  to  help  out  on  the  much  larger  feed  bill,  labor 
cost,  etc. 

Mr.  Moseley's  original  chart  shows  that  from  Janu- 
aty  24th  to  February  9th  inclusive,  it  cost  $56.00  to  feed 
tlie  350  pullets.  Thus,  after  we  take  the  market  value  of 
their  eggs  from  this  $56.00,  we  have  a  loss  of  $9.05.  On 
the  other  hand,  Mr.  Moseley  gives  the  feed  cost  of  the  70 
pullets  as  $11.04,  which  amount,  deducted  from  the  market 
egg  value  of  their  product  from  January  24th  to  Febru- 
ary 9th  inclusive,  leaves  a  profit  over  feed  cost  of  $23.07. 

Just   Good  Average   Leghorns 

No  claim  is  made  for  any  of  these  420  pullets  as  re- 
gards special  high  egg  production — neither  that  they  had 
been  bred  for  prolific  egg  yield,  nor  that  they  had  been 
culled  by  any  modern  test  with  a  view  to  throwing  out 
the  low  producers.  It  is  our  understanding  that  they  were 
simply  a  good,  fair  quality  of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns,  bred 
at  that  time  on  utility  lines,  generally  speaking,  but  that 
they  were  of  a  favorable  age,  of  good  size  and  in  a 
healthy  condition.  How  much  better  could  now  be  done 
with  line-bred  stock  or  with  birds  expertly  culled;  also 
what  improvements  might  result  in  egg  yield  from  the  use 
of  cooked  foods  and  drinking  water  with  the  chill  taken 
off,  are  questions  left  undecided  by  these  tests,  but  which 
now  invite  earnest  thought  and  painstaking  efforts  on  the 
part  of  men  like  Mr.  Moseley  and  many  others  in  this 
field  of  effort  who  are  qualified  for  investigational  and  ex- 
perimental work  of  this  kind. 

With  a  view  to  making  more  impressive,  in  behalf  of 
our  readers,  the  results  of  this  test  of  70  pullets  under 
lights  as  compared  with  350  that  were  not  placed  under 
lights,  R.  P.  J.  has  had  Chart  No.  3  prepared,  as  shown 
herewith.  The  figures  along  the  left-hand  side,  reading  from 
the  bottom  up,  show  percentages  of  egg  yield.  The  dates 
of  the  month,  January  10  to  Februaiy  9  inclusive,  are 
shown  by  the  figures  along  the  bottom.  The  two  irre- 
gular lines  illustrate  the  egg  yield  of  the  420  pullets;  the 


30 

,<    ^ 

"   Z^   jt  -     -vu 

yZ^         All     t      t^ 

t 

\/        Ztl^    \      \ 

^^-.^  - 

:      3        V    "^ 

^X^J 

\^^^        J 

.^^^^^^^^ 

^^>^y    \l 

^%Z      ^_^ 

11  ^^    ^^             Stll^ 

3niis5::]c 

n  =i:5  ;^  —  ^ 

;  ^--  -^—^^^\7\ 

u-:--^::::^-             -^:^      /--.--'^ 

^                   "^^ 

X       :: 

10    11    12    13    14    15    16  17 


CHART    3— CURVES    OP    EGG    PRODUCTION    IN    ILLUMINATED    AND 

tJNILLUMINATED  FLOCKS 
.  The  upper  line  marked  "illuminated"  represents  the  production  line  of  a 
flock  of  70  pullets  under  artificial  illumination  at  Hillhurst  Farm,  while  the 
lower  line  marked  "not  illuminated,"  shows  the  production  of  a  flock  of  350 
pullets  kept  under  similar  conditions,  but  not  illuminated.  The  figures  on  the 
left  represent  per  cent  of  increase,  and  those  along  the  bottom,  the  days  of 
the  month.  The  actual  number  of  eggs  produced  by  each  flock  daily  will  be 
found  in  Chart  2. 


one  marked  "illuminated"  showing  the  yield  of  the  '0 
pullets  placed  under  lights,  and  the  line  marked  "not 
illuminated,"  showing  the  production  during  this  period 
on  a  percentage  basis  of  the  350  pullets  that  were  not 
under  lights. 

Sunny  Crest  Farm  for  a  number  of  years  has  had  its 
own  plant  for  generating  electricity.  An  illustration  of 
same  is  shown  herewith,  including  the  switchboard  and 
set  of  clocks  for  turning  the  lights  on  and  off  either  all  at 
one  time  or  gradually,  depending  on  when  this  is  to  be 
done.  In  the  forenoon  when  there  is  sufficient  daylight 
for  the  use  of  the  hens,  all  the  lights  can  be  turned  ofi  at 
once,  by  automatic  means  as  determined  by  the  time 
clocks,  but  in  the  evening  it  is  necessary  to  diminish  the 
light  gradually  in  the  poultry  pens,  otherwise  the  hens 
will  be  unable  to  find  their  way  to  the  roosts.  Nature's 
method  in  this  respect  needs  to  be  imitated. 

At  Sunny  Crest,  the  pens,  in  most  cases,  are  16x18 
feet  in  size,  though  some  of  them  are  18x26  and  as  a  rule 
they  use  one  to  two  60-watt  lights  to  each  pen.  Said  Mr. 
Moseley  in  substance: 

"For  pens  16x18  feet,  or  18x26  feet,  as  examples,  we 
advise  using  two  60-watt  lights,  locating  them  a  propor- 
tionate distance  apart  across  the  center  of  the  room  and 
using  a  white  enameled  reflector  above  each  light,  of  ten 
to  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  although  a  smaller  diameter 
also  gives  good  results.  A  tinsmith  or  other  handy  per- 
son can  easily  make  a  reflector  out  of  galvanized  iron, 
using  two  coats  of  white  enamel  to  make  it  complete.  Re- 
member that  a  white  interior  also  increases  the  brightness 
of  the  room  or  laying  pen.  When  electric  power  is  plen- 
tiful it  is  well  to  have  an  abundance  of  light.  The  cost  of 
what  might  be  deemed  a  suiplus  of  light  is  negligible  in 
comparison  to  the  benefit  of  full  light,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  hens  will  work  better  in  all  parts  of  the  room." 
Should  Take  ChUl  Out  of  Water 
For  prolific  egg  yield  Mr.  Moseley  believes  that  the 
chill  should  be  taken  out  of  the  water,  especially  in  ex- 
treme cold  weathei ;  therefore  they  recently  put  in  one 
or  more  large  water  tanks,  with  a  natural  gas  burner 
under  each  tank.  This  burner  gives  a  small  flame  and 
burns  constantly  day  and  night.  The  water  is  under  low 
pressure,  is  carried  by  pipes  to  the  poultry  pens  and  there 
drips  steadily  into  the  drinking  troughs,  thus  insuring 
not  only  water  with  the  chill 
off,  but  a  continuous  supply  of 
pure,   fresh   water. 

As  stated  elsewhere  in  this 
issue  (see  interview  with  Dr. 
E.  C.  Waldorf  beginning  on 
page  64),  Mr.  Moseley  has 
learned  as  a  result  of  study 
and  observation  in  Erie  County 
that  moderate  temperatures  for 
the  poultry  quarters  during  se- 
vere cold  weather  helps  materi- 
ally to  increase  egg  production 
where  the  lighting  system  is  em- 
ployed. This  has  been  observed 
uniformly  (other  things  being 
equal)  in  cases  where  farm 
flocks  are  housed  during  winter 
weather  in  the  basements  of 
barns,  notably  cow  barns  occu- 
pied by  numerous  head  of  cat- 
tle. Here  the  temperature  aver- 
ages ten  to  twenty-five  degrees 
warmer  than  would  be  the  case 
in  the  average  poultry  house 
and  the  egg  yield  is  helped  hero 
by  the  use  of  artificial  illumina- 
tion (whether  furnished  by 
lanterns,  natural  gas  or  electric- 
ity)  and  the  results  are  con- 
siderably more  favorable  than 
can  be  obtained  in  ordinary 
poultry  houses  from  the  same 
fowls,  at  the  same  time,  given 
the  same  feed  and  treatment, 
except  being  subjected  to  m 
temperature  ten  to  twenty-fiv« 
degrees  colder. 


February- 


EARLY  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  TESTS  IN  EASTERN  TERRITORY 


57 


As  above  intimated,  all  sorts  of  lighting  schemes  are 
Slow  being  used  or  "tried  out"  in  Erie  County,  so  Mr. 
Moseley  reported.  Ordinary  kerosene  lanterns  are  being 
"used,  also  special  gasoline  lanterns;  likewise  natural  gas, 
•employing  Welsbach  burners  to  give  maximum  illumin- 
ation. Furthermore,  in  a  number  of  cases  the  poultrymen 
'(both    experts    and    farmers)    are    furnishing   their    layer- 


way,  will  hatch  as  well  as  they  would  if  produced  by  the 
same  fowl  in  fewer  numbers.  To  the  best  of  my  know- 
ledge, the  eggs  in  our  breeding  pens  are  as  strongly  fertile 
under  lights  as  otherwise." 

In  a  later  issue  we  plan  to  report  the  feeding  inetlio'ls 
used  at  Sunny  Crest  Farm.  (See  art'cle  beginiiiiifj  ^.: 
page  60.) 

(NOTE:    The   fore^ouig    article    is    reprinted    from 


April,   1919,   issue 


J.) 


A  SIMPLE  HOPPER  FOR  DRY-MASH  FEEDING 
The  hopper  here  illustated  is  simple,  practical,  and 
can  be  made  by  any  one  at  slight  expense.  Dimensions 
may  be  modified  to  suit  size  ot  flock.  For  feeding  large 
numbers  of  hens,  however,  extra-big  hoppers  like  the 
one    illustrated    at    foot    of    page    are    more    satisfactory. 

flocks  with  artificial  heat,  generally  in  the  form  of  stoves 
that  use  natural  gas,  although  in  a  few  cases  kerosene 
-Stoves  are  used — and  with  generally  good  results.  Natural 
.gas  has  not  been  found  as  satisfactory  as  electricity  for 
.lighting  purposes,  but  it  does  help  to  moderate  the  tem- 
'perature  of  poultry  houses  or  other  laying  quarters  in 
which  it  is  used  to  supply  light.  Said  Mr.  Moseley  i;i 
substance: 

"The  benefits  of  artificial  illumination  can  be  said  to 
be  established,  so  far  as  Erie  County  is  concerned,  both 
in  cold  and  open  weather,  also  when  used  by  specialized 
poultrymen  and  by  farmers.  In  this 
county  it  may  properly  be  said  that 
the  use  of  artificial  illumination, 
■other  conditions  being  approximately 
right,  has  been  a  uniform  success. 
Here  where  natural  gas  is  available  at 
low  cost,  we  advise  the  use  of  this 
source  of  light  and  heat,  including  the 
Welsbach  buraer  which  gives  a  max- 
imum light  in  the  case  of  gas,  prn- 
-vided  electric  lights  are  not  avail- 
able." 

Touching  on  another  question  of 
importance,   Mr.   Moseley  said: 

"The  lighting  system  also  can  be 
made  a  big  help  to  breeders.  They 
can  allow  cold  weather  and  short 
days  to  hold  back  their  fowls  until 
the  time  in  February  or  early  March, 
depending  on  latitude,  when  they 
want  eggs  for  hatching  purposes, 
then  they  can  put  on  the  lights  for 
ten  or  twelve  days  and  the  egg  yield 
will  double  or  triple,  thus  giving 
them  an  ample  supply  for  early 
hatches.  So  far  as  I  know  or  can 
judge,  the  use  of  lights  does  not  af- 
fect fertility.  Eggs  produced  under 
-the  lighting  system,  or  forced  in  this 


ARTIFICIAL    LIGHTING    OF    PACIFIC    COAST 
POULTRY  HOUSES 

(Continued  from  page  52) 
12  quarts  of  short-sprouted  oats,  fed  in  good,  clean  litter. 
By  daylight  the  droppings  boards  should  be  cleaned  and 
the  lights  turned  off.  Clean  the  water  pails  thoroughly  and 
give  them  a  good  scrubbing,  then  refill  with  clean  water, 
and  milk  if  you  have  it. 

"At  3:45  p.  m.  give  them  about  nine  quarts  of  mixed 
grain  in  the  litter,  composed  of  a  commercial  scratch 
grain,  or  two  parts  of  wheat  to  one  part  of  cracked  corn. 
At  about  4:00  o'clock,  or  whenever  it  begins  to  get  dark, 
turn  on  the  lights.  At  S:OC  p.  m.  give  them  fresh  water, 
then  if  the  birds  have  eaten  all  the  grain  they  will,  feed 
them  a  wet,  lumpy  mash  made  from  the  egg  mash  mixed 
w'th  milk.  Feed  it  to  them  in  troughs  at  about  7:00  p.  m. 
At  7:30  give  the  birds  all  the  kale  they  will  eat.  The  birds 
will  literally  stuff  themselves  and  go  to  roost  at  8:0'i  •  r 
8:30  with  plenty  to  last  and  keep  them  waiin  until  llic 
light  is  turned  on  at  5:45  the  next  morning.  By  8:30  p. 
m.  we  have  all  the  lights  out  but  one,  which  gives  just 
enough  light  for  Biddy  to  find  her  roost. 

"Shell,  grit,  charcoal  and  egg  mash,  dry,  are  constant- 
ly before  the  birds. 

"The  egg  mash  is  composed  as  follows,  by  measure: 
Two  parts  bran,  one  part  corn  meal  or  feed  meal,  one  part 
soy  bean  meal,  one  part  oat  middlings,  one  part  wheat 
middlings,  half  part  fish  meal  or  beef  scraps  and  one  part 
alfalfa  meal.  The  latter  may  be  omitted  if  you  have  plenty 
of  green  food  for  the  birds.  Twice  a  week  a  little  cut 
green  bone  is  added  to  the  wet  mash,  this  being  a  good 
substitute  for  bugs  and  worms. 

"The  two  big  'secrets'  in  getting  winter  eggs  arc  to 
have  pullets  bred  and  raised  with  winter  eggs  in  view, 
and  the  production  of  spring  conditions  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible." 


"EFFICIENT"  STRAIN  OF  S.  C.  WHITE  LEGHORNS  "UNDER  LIGHTS", 
SUNNY  CREST  POULTRY  FARM,  EAST  AURORA,  N.  Y. 
Above  picture,  made  from  photograph,  shows  part  (one  side)  of  giant 
feed  hopper  located  in  partition,  holding  at  one  time  1200  lbs.  of  dry  mash,  as 
used  on  Sunny  Crest  Farm.  Has  same  construction  on  other  side,  for  use  of 
the  birds  in  adjoining  pen.  Provides  twelve  lineal  feet  of  feeding  space  for 
each   pen,   "giving  all   birds  a   chance",   as  Mr.   Moseley   expressed   It. 


"Works  the  Hens  Day  and  Night"— Report  By  Mr.  Jordan 


PROPRIETOR  OF  SUNNY  CREST  FARM,  EAST  AURORA,  ERIE  COUNTY,  NEW 
YORK,  GIVES  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  HIS  EXPERIMENTS  WITH  THE  "LIGHT- 
ING SYSTEM"  AND  TELLS  OF  THE  PROFITABLE  AND  SATISFACTORY 
RESULTS  OBTAINED  —  CAUTIONS  AGAINST  A  MISUSE  OF  LIGHTS  BY 
OVERDOING  IT,  ESPECIALLY  IN  THE  CASE  OF  FOWLS  KEPT  FOR  BREEDING 
PURPOSES  — EMPHASIZES  THE  GREAT  IMPORTANCE  OF  PROPER  FEEDING 
WHERE  HIGH  EGG  PRODUCTION  IS  SOUGHT  —  HAS  FOUND  SPROUTED  OATS 
TO    BE     AN    UNEXCELLED    FORM     OF     GREEN     FOOD     FOR     WINTER     USE 

Py  J.   P.   JOKD/IN,  Ni-w    Tor*   Cuy,  N.    Y. 


(NOTE:  The  following  article  is  reprinted  entire  from 
the  Cornell  Countryman,  the  official  paper  of  the  New  York 
State  College  of  Agriculture,  Ithaca,  N.  T.  Article  is  printed 
herewith  with  the  consent  of  the  publishers  of  the  Cornell 
Countryman.     Mr.  Jordan,  author  of_the  accompanying  arti- 


autho 
member  of  the  firm 
No.'    6    East    Thirty-Ninth    St 
efficiency  engineers.     It  was 


Knoeppel  &  Co.,  Inc., 
York  City,  well-known 
1,  therefore,  and  in  line 
with  his  business  training  that  Mr.  Jordan  at  Sunny  Crest 
(for  several  years  his  summer  home)  should  have  given 
special  attention  to  "efficiency  methods"  in  developing  his 
poultry  plant.  This  farm  comprises  fifty  acres  of  land, 
consisting  of  well-drained,  gravelly  loam  that  is  good 
growing  soil  for  vegetation  of  all  kinds  native  to  that  sec- 
tion.—Editor  R.  P.  J.) 

THE  Sunny  Crest  Farm  began  operations  in  1912. 
It  was  our  plan  to  grow  the  best  utility  S.  C. 
White  Leghorns  we  could,  under  the  most  effi- 
cient methods  possible.  Producing  poultry  as  a  fad  was 
not  our  intention.  We  believed  that  the  reason  of  so  many 
failures  in  the  poultry  business  was  due  to  lack  of  proper 
attention  to  details  in  care,  breeding 
The     first 


year 
brought  its  problems,  as  did  later  years, 
but  this  was  particularly  true  the  first 
year  and  we  were  fortunate  in  looking 
to  the  Cornell  Department  of  Poultry 
Husbandry,  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  for  guid- 
ance. If  we  have  ever  been  in  a  posi- 
tion approaching  real  success  in  breed- 
ing S.  C.  White  Leghorns,  we  owe  the 
greater  part  of  the  credit  to  the  advice 
and  interest  of  our  good  friends  at 
Ithaca. 

In  1913  we  started  to  cull  out  the 
unprofitable  hens  and  purchased  eggs 
from  the  descendants  of  the  well-known 
"Lady  Cornell".  Next  we  bred  the 
cockerels  from  those  eggs  to  five  hun- 
dred selected  heavy  layers.  During  this 
time  we  culled  our  chicks  very  strictly 
and  in  each  successive  year,  having 
tested  the  great  value  of  keeping  only 
the  very  strongest  and  most  perfect 
birds,  our  culling  has  become  abso- 
lutely merciless. 

We  also  at  this  time  picked  from  our 
flock,  which  had  grown  to  3000  layers, 
the  finest  specimens,  and  from  these 
made  up  special  hatching  pens  from 
which  we  kept  the  finest  cockerels  for 
the   next  year's  breeding. 

The    final     lesults    of    the    merciless 
culling,  and  of  breeding  only  from  the  very  finest  birds, 
have  more  than  justified  what  seemed  at  the  time  to  be 
a  prodigal  waste  of  bird  life. 

Ideal  Conditions  "At  Every  Season" 
One  of  the  principal  lines  on  which  we  have  worked 
has  been  that  of  trying  to  stimulate  ideal  conditions  at 
every  season  of  the  year.  This  is  most  strikingly  brought 
out  in  two  points,  one  of  great  magnitude,  and  the  other 
quite  interesting  and  certainly  valuable. 
58 


The  lesser  point  is  a  scheme  used  in  the  production 
of  green  food  in  the  shape  of  sprouted  oats.  Our  oat 
sprouting  cellar  was  so  designed  as  to  have  an  equal  tem- 
perature throughout,  using  ventilating  stacks  to  draw  the 
cold  air  from  the  floor,  which  has  tlie  effect  of  drawing 
down  the  heat,  thereby  equalizing  the  temperature 
throughout  the  room  to  a  marked  degree. 

The  principal  point  in  the  production  of  sprouted  oats 
is  the  method  used  in  wetting  them.  We  have  a  common 
thirty-gallon  hot  water  boiler,  with  the  hot  and  cold 
water  piped  to  a  common  pipe  in  which  we  mix  the  water 
to  a  constant  summer  rain  temperature.  In  this  condi- 
tion the  water  goes  into  the  boiler,  being  carried  to  the 
bottom  through  a  pipe  from  the  top.  To  fill  this  boiler 
we  open  a  valve  which  allows  the  air  to  escape. 

When  the  boiler  is  filled  with  water 
at  the  right  temperature,  we  close  the 
relief  valve,  and,  having  compressed  air  ' 
at  our  disposal,  we  open  the  com- 
pressed air  valve  just  sufficiently  tcy 
give  us  a  proper  pressure  to  distribute 
the  water  through  the  hose  and  into 
a  three-foot  pipe.  By  this  method  we 
can  reach  into  our  trays,  which  are 
two  feet  deep,  giving  each  tray  a  wes- 
ting of  water  at  a  constant  tempera- 
ture. By  this  method  we  produce  the 
very  finest  sprouted  oats,  getting  twen- 
ty to  twenty-two  pounds  of  green  food 
from  four  pounds  of  oats  in  seven  day?. 
Beside  the  green  food,  the  oats  are  in 
a  perfect  milky  condition,  which  in 
themselves  are  most  agreeable  to  the 
birds. 

THE  GREATEST  THING  at 
Sunny  Crest,  however,  is  the  introduc- 
tion of  electric  lights.  .We  started  ex- 
perimenting with  electric  lights  in  late 
November,  1915,  and  to  tell  of  the  re- 
sults seems  like  a  fairy  tale.  We  first 
installed  the  lights  in  our  No.  2  house 
consisting  of  five  pens  of  pullets,  with 
100  birds  to  each  pen.  These  particular 
pullets  were  the  poorest  ones  we  had 
out  of  2100,  the  1600  best  ones  being 
or      eacn     year    or      j^^  ^^^  ^^    3  house. 

To  make  our  test  of  far  greater  value, 
it  happened  that  nature  came  along  at  this  particular 
time  with  the  coldest  and  bitterest  weather  of  the  entire 
year.  Remember  this — the  SOO  pullets  in  the  No.  2  house 
in  which  we  turned  on  the  lights  were  the  weakest,  small- 
est and  most  unpromising  of  our  entire  flock.  We  greatly 
regretted  that  two  pens,  or  200  of  the  birds,  we  had  not 
sold  to  market. 

The  No.  2  house  in  which  we  installed  the  lights  was 
running  an  average  of  about  20  per  cent  production  at  the 


MR.    J. 

P 

JORDAN, 
CITY,    N. 

NEW 
Y. 

YORK 

^residen 
Farir 

.  I 

of     Sunny     Crest     Poultry 
nc,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Jordan  was  one  of  the  first  men 
in  the  eastern  part  of  our  country  to 
discover  and  recognize  the  commer- 
cial value  of  artificial  light  to  in- 
crease egg  production  during  the 
short-day  period  of  each  year  or 
season. 


'WORKS  THE  HENS  DAY  AND  NIGHT"— REPORT  BY  MR.  JORDAN 


59 


time  we  started  the  experiment  The  No.  3  house  was 
running  between  35  per  cent  and  40  per  cent  at  the  same 
time. 

Three  weeks  from  the  time  we  turned  on  the  lights 
the  production  of  the  entire  No.  2  house  under  the  electric 
light  had  soared  to  65  per  cent.  Our  No.  3  house  with 
our  finest  birds  sank  to  a  production  of  20  per  cent. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  we  immediately  installed  the 
lights  throughout  our  entire  plant.  They  have  been  used 
ever  since  with  considerable  profit.  They  have  not  only 
been  used  by  the  Sunny  Crest  company,  but  nearly  every- 
one in  and  about  East  Aurora  has  installed  the  same  light 
outfit. 

This  is  our  method  of  operating  the  lights.  We  have 
a  small  switchboard  which  consists  of  a  resistance  on 
the  back,  and  on  the  front  of  the  board  a  series  of  five 
alarm  clock  snap  switches.  Whenever  it  becomes  dark  in 
the  afternoon  the  lights  are  turned  on.  At  eight  o'clock 
at  night  an  alarm  clock  goes  off  and  releases  a  spring 
switch  which  throws  a  light  resistance  into  the  current. 
From  five  to  ten  minutes  later,  the  second  clock  throws  in 
still  more  resistance.  This  dims  the  lights  so  that  it  makes 
it  difficult  for  the  birds  to  see  enough  to  pick  up  food. 
From  five  to  ten  minutes  later,  the  third  clock  throws  in 
still  more  resistance,  which  brings  the  light  down  to  a  red 
glow,  too  dark  for  the  birds  to  see  anything  except  the 
roost  and  how  to  get  to  their  places  for  the  night.  The 
fourth  clock  snaps  the  lights  out  for  the  night.  At  from 
five  to  five-thirty  the  next  morning,  the  fifth  clock  throws 
the  switch  turning  on  all  lights  full  strength,  upon  which 
the  birds  hustle  off  the  roosts,  reminding  one  of  Niagara 
Falls,  seemingly  glad  to  get  down  and  do  some  good 
hard  work  and  to  get  warmed  up. 

Many  joking  comments  have  been  made  on  working 
the  poor  birds  overtime.  But  what  if  you  had  to  go  to 
bed  at  half-past  three  or  four  o'clock  on  a  winter  after- 
noon, your  food  all  digested  by  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  and  then  you  had  to  huddle  yourself  up  as  best 
you  could  until  half-past  seven  or  eight  o'clock  the  next 
morning  before  you  could  see  enough  to  work  for  your 
living?  You  would  soon  become  discouraged  with  life, 
contract  all  diseases  born  of  weakness,  and  fail  to  produce 
your  share  of  the  interests  of  life  which  you  would  other- 
wise produce  if  you  were  given  the  opportunity. 

IN  THE  OPINION  OF  THE  WRITER,  THE  RE- 
SULTS OBTAINED  FROM  ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  IN 
A  POULTRY  PLANT  ARE  EXACTLY  AND  ONLY 
WHAT  WOULD  NATURALLY  BE  EXPECTED. 

More  exercise,  more  feed, — especially  dry  mash — 
more  water  by  almost  treble,  and  there  follows  these  re- 
sults: better  health,  stronger  .constitution,  greater 
strength,  and  lastly,  the  logical  end  of  it  all — namely,  far 
greater  egg  production. 

O  C  T  O  B  E  R NOVE 


There  is  no  question  whatever  in  the  mind  of  the 
writer  so  far  as  our  experience  has  shown  to  date,  that 
the  effect  of  the  electric  light  in  the  pullet  year  of  the  bird 
can  be  anything  but  of  the  very  best.  If  it  is  true  that 
the  effect  of  tlie  use  of  light  is  to  give  health  and  strength, 
it  would  naturally  follow  that  it  is  good  for  the  bird. 

It  is  to  be  believed,  however,  from  our  experience  of 
last  year,  that  the  electric  lights  should  not  be  used  with 
breeders,  that  is  yearlings  from  which  breeding  eggs  are 
to  be  taken.  Our  reason  for  saying  this  is  that  when  we 
had  considered  our  birds  practically  through  the  molt 
last  winter,  we  turned  on  the  electric  lights  thinking  that 
we  would  get  them  nicely  speeded  up  for  the  breeding 
season. 

There  could  be  no  question  in  anyone's  mind  about  the 
speeding  up,  as  we  jumped  875  breeders  from  a  total  pro- 
duction of  20  eggs  per  day  to  a  total  of  470  in  a  period  of 
less  than  three  weeks. 

When  we  started  up  our  incubators,  however,  our  egg 
production  started  to  go  down,  the  hens  having  started  to 
molt  and,  worse  than  anything  else,  our  egg  fertility  was 
the  lowest  we  have  had  for  a  number  of  years. 

Special  pens  which  were  not  under  the  lights,  were  just 
the  reverse.  This  seems  to  point  conclusively  to  the  fact 
tha:t  we  had  overworked  the  breeders  at  a  time  when  they 
were  least  prepared  for  standing  the  work. 

The  chicks  which  did  hatch,  however,  were  strong  and 
healthy. 

The  writer  would  later  like  to  go  on  with  some  points 
in  regard  to  our  business.  It  is  desired  to  reiterate  that 
those,  who  are  now  in  or  are  contemplating  going  into  the 
poultry  business,  should  do  so  only  under  the  advice  and 
direction  of  experts  whose  life  is  devoted  to  the  many  prob- 
lems of  a  very  complicated  and  precarious  business. 

It,  of  course,  is  true  to  some  extent  that  all  poultry 
plants  are  a  little  different,  but  in  the  main  there  is  not 
difference  enough  to  warrant  such  fool  things  as  feeding 
all  corn  because  wheat  is  high  or  all  wheat  because  corn  is 
high.  It  is  perfectly  in  order  for  a  progressive  operator  of 
a  poultry  plant  to  try  experiments  of  great  value  to  him- 
self and  to  everyone  in  general,  but  such  experiments  should 
be  on  small  units  and  careful  records  kept  of  the  results. 

An  instance  of  the  above  is  a  theory  of  the  writer  that 
some  day  we  will  see  poultry  plants  with  automatic  tem- 
perature control  which,  with  the  use  of  the  electric  light, 
and  careful  growing  of  green  food,  will  produce  condition.^ 
almost  identical  with  the  months  of  the  year  in  which  the 
birds   produce   the    greatest   number   of   eggs. 

The  Sunny  Crest  Company  have  kept  temperature  rec- 
ords for  the  last  three  years,  and  we  have  studied  the  tem- 
perature effects  on  birds,  as  well  as  general  climatic  con- 
ditions. We  found  that  the  temperature  seemed  to  be  real- 
ly the  only  controlling  feature  and  that  the  effect  of  a 
change  of  temperature  either  way  was  noted  on  the  sixth 
or  seventh  day  following  the  change. 

If  we  could  now  devise  a  poultry  house  with  artificial 
circulation  of  air,  big  and  roomy,  where  no  air  would  come 
in  except  through  thermostatic  control,  the  writer  believes 
that  this,  combined  with  electric  light  and  fine  green  food 
would  almost  duplicate  the  egg  production  of  tho  most 
ideal  months  of  the  year.  After  we  have  made  a  little  more 
money.  Sunny  Crest  proposes  to  perform  an  experiment  nt 
this  sort,  and  the  first  ones  to  know  of  the  result  will  be 
your  own  Cornell  University. 
BER DEC   EMBER 


TEMPERATURE    CHART   WHICH    LED    TO    MR.   JORDAN'S  DISCOVERY    Or    THE    BENEFITS    OP    ARTIPICIAIi    LIGHT 

The  original  idea,  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Jordan,  in  keeping  this  temperature  chart  was  to  find  out  what  effect  sudden 
or  severe  changes  in  atmospheric  temperature  would  have  on  egg  production  in  the  case  of  birds  not  under  lights.  From 
October  10,  1915,  when  this  chart  was  started,  none  of  the  birds  here  represented  were  "under  lights."  The  dotted  line 
shows  the  production  of  500  "late  pullets'"  from  October  10th  to  November  2Sth  without  lights.  On  the  latter  date  lights 
were  introduced  in  three  pens  of  House  2  (containing  the  500  late  pulletst  and  December  1st,  three  days  later,  "lights" 
were  given  all  these  500  pullets.  On  the  other  hand,  no  lights  were  given,  the  earlier-hatched  pullets  in  House  No.  3  (1600 
in  number)  from  November  10th  to  January  1st  following.  Now  compare  the  production.  The  late-hatched  pullets,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  were  lagging  behind  the  earlier-hatched  pullets  in  production,  but  within  ten  days  after  they 
were  "given  the  lights"  they  passed  the  earlier-hatched  pullets  and  soon  were  producing  forty  to  sixty-flve  per  cent  of 
eggs,  in  the  cold  month  of  December,  while  their  competitors  not  under  lights  (the  "earlier"  pullets)  were  ranging  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty-six  per  cent — a  big  gain  in  favor  of  the  "lighted"  late-hatched  pullets.  It  is  shown  by  this  tem- 
perature chart  that  while  changes  in  temperature  DID  affect  egg  production,  it  was  not  to  any  radical  extent,  as  may  be 
noted  by  the  key  to  this  graph.  All  pens  that  held  the  500  late  pullets  and  the  1600  earlier-hatched  pullets  were  16x26 
feet  in  size. 


More  "Lighting"  Facts  From  Sunny  Crest  Farm 


LATEST  INTERVIEW  WITH  R.  S.  MOSELEY,  SECRETARY-MANAGER  OF  SUNNY 
CREST  FARM,  EAST  AURORA,  NEW  YORK,  ON  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  IN- 
CREASE EGG  PRODUCTION  DURING  SHORT-DAY  PERIOD  OF  THE  YEAR—  SHOULD 
FEED- LOTS  OF  GREEN  FOOD,  SPROUTED  OATS  PREFERRED  —  "LIGHTS"OF  SPEC- 
IAL HELP  TO  LATE  PULLETS— MODERATE  TEMPERATURE  OF  GENUINE  IMPORT- 
ANCE—FRESH,  PURE  AIR   ESSENTIAL—  "LIGHTS"  ALSO  HELP  HATCHABILITY 


Report  By 

THE  first  week  of  August,  1919,  writer  paid  a  visit  to 
Sunny  Crest  Farm,  located  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  thriving  village  of  East  Aurora, 
N.  Y.,  and  had  a  further  interview  with  Mr.  Moseley, 
secretary  of  Sunny  Crest  Farm,  Inc.,  and  general  manager 
■of  this  fifty-acre  poultry  plant  where  the  "efficient  strain 
■of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns  was  originated  and  where  today 
they  now  exist  by  the  thousands.  Writing  R.  P.  J.  under 
-date  October  16,  1919,  Mr.  Moseley  said:  "We  contem- 
plate making  greater  strides  than  ever  before,  within  the 
next  year,  including  the  buying  of  additional  land  and  'n 
■other  ways,  which  will  make  our  plant  still  more  efificient, 
-as  to  labor  saving  features  and  as  a  money-maker." 

Mr.  Moseley  took  us  over  the  plant,  through  the  num- 
erous buildings,  describing  their  facilities  and  explainin.g 
their  methods.  Treating  on  the  matter  of  "the  use  of  arti- 
ficial light  to  increase  egg  production  during  the  short-day 
period  of  each  season"  he  said,  in  substance: 

"Yes,  we  are  now  trying  morning  lighting,  starting  the 
lights  at  3:30  a.  m.  and  using  no  artificial  light  at  night. 
You  will  recall  how  well  the  birds  under  lights  did  at  the 
■poultry  plant  at  Cornell  University  from  November  last 
until  June  of  this  year — birds  that  had  the  lights  fro:ii 
3:00  a.  m.  until  dawn,  with  no  help  of  this  kind  in  the 
evening.  If  that  proves  to  be  the  best  plan  we  want  to 
test  it  out  here  at  Sunny  Crest  and  adopt  it. 

"As  regards  feeding,  we  are  now  giving  our  lighted 
birds  hard  grain  at  7:00  a.  m.  and  again  at  6:00  p.  m.  This 
is  during  midsummer,  so  to  speak.  As  the  afternoons  grow 
shorter  we  shall  feed  earlier;  also  at  that  time  we  shall 
give  them  more  artificial  light,  probably  turning  on  at 
dusk  and  running  up  to  6  p.  m.  This  schedule  appeals  to 
us,  because  it  provides  for  feeding  of  grain  at  the  natural 
time — at  about  7:00  a.  m.  At  present  from  3:30  a.  m.  to 
7:00  a.  m.  these  birds  can  help  themselves  to  the  dry  mash, 
.all  they  want  of  it. 


EDITOR 

"We  like  the  idea  of  sprinkling  a  little  grain  in  the 
litter — quite  deep  litter  and  always  kept  dry — in  the  mid- 
forenoon  and  midafternoon,  doing  this  to  promote  ex- 
ercise. 

Should  Feed  Lots  of  Green  Food 

"There  is  one  thing  in  connection  with  this  use  of 
lights  to  increase  egg  production  that  I  feel  is  very  im- 
portant— that  is  to  feed  lots  of  green  food.  We  believe 
that  poultrymen  in  general  do  not,  as  a  rule,  feed  enough 
green  food,  especially  in  winter.  We  produce  and  feed 
great  quantities  of  sprouted  oats  and  do  not  believe  they 
have  a  superior  for  the  purpose.  Also  we  believe  in  the 
poultryman  being  'a  doctor  to  his  fowls'  by  watching  close- 
ly their  condition  of  health  and  production,  then  when 
he  sees  anything  'going  wrong'  he  should  act  at  once 
and   with   intelligence. 

"Here  is  another  important  point:  to  retard  molting 
in  case  it  starts  earlier  in  the  season  than  you  think  is 
natural  or  necessary,  increase  the  litter  to  practically  a 
foot  deep  and  every  time  you  go  through  the  pens  sprin- 
kle a  little  hard  grain  in  the  litter. 

"We  have  found  that  more  exercise  on  the  part  of  our 
layers  induces  a  hardening  of  the  feathers  and  if  the  birds 
are  treated  in  this  way  they  will  postpone  molting,  at  least 
in  many  cases,  and  go  on  laying. 

"In  regard  to  the  matter  of  molting,  especially  un- 
naturally early  molting,  we  have  noted  that  usually  a  hen 
out  of  condition  will  stop  laying  and  then  soon  will  go 
into  the  molt.  We  also  found  that  where  there  appeared 
to  be  a  lack  of  exercise,  these  birds  would  go  into  the 
molt,  doing  so  at  earlier  dates  than  was  natural  or  neces- 
sary. Our  observations  on  this  line  have  led  us  to  con- 
clude that  during  summertime  this  good,  dry,  deep  litter 
is  just  as  necessary  as  during  the  winter,  if  we  are  to 
get   high    egg   production,   with   or   without  lights. 

"Also  it  is  advisable,  in  fact  necessary  at  this  time  of 
the  year  (during  the  summei)  to  feed  more  protein,  thus 
to  build  up  the  tissues — using  buttermilk,  for  example. 
We  use  large  quantities  of  semisolid  buttermilk  that  we 
obtain  by  the  barrel  for  this  purpose. 


SPROUTUTG   OATS  ON  U.  S.  GOVERNMENT  POULTRY  FARM,   BELTSVILLB.  MARYLAND 

Reproduction  of  photograph  furnished  R.  P.  J.  by  Bureau  of  Animal  Husbandry  of  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture.  Shows  oats  in  metal  trays  two  days,  four  days  and  six  days  along,  respectively.  A  pound  of  oats 
when  t-prouted  will  weigh  three  to  four  pounds.  The  sprouted  oats  do  not  contain  any  more  nutrients  than  when 
fed  dry,  but  the>  are  much  more  readily  digested  in  sprouted  form.  The  increased  weight  comes  largely  from 
added  moisture.  Fowls  will  eat  hulls  and  all.  Young  and  growing  chicks  greatly  relish  the  green  sprouts. 
Larger  chicks  eat  sprout  and  hull  combined.  As  a  winter  green  food  sprouted  oats  cannot  be  excelled.  Users  of 
-artificial  lights  in  poultry  houses  invariably  report  the  use  and  value  of  sprouted  oats  and  their  dependence  on 
them  as  green  food  for  their  laying  hens. 


MORE  "LIGHTING  FACTS"  FROM  SUNNY  CREST  FARM 


61 


"As  regards  different  kinds  of  green  food,  our  advice 
to  poultrymen  in  general  is  to  use  any  good  thing  they  can 
get.  Additional  to  sprouted  oats  we  used  mostly  cabbage 
last  winter.  We  find  that  our  birds  prefer  a  variety,  at 
least  to  some  extent.  Sprouted  oats  are  always  good, 
though  there  is  some  labor  attached  to  their  production. 
Cut  clover  or  alfalfa  are  really  preferred  by  us,  but  the 
supply  is  uncertain  and  often  is  limited.  Will  repeat  that 
nothing  in  this  line,  however,  has  given  us  better  results 
than  sprouted  oats. 

Special  Help  to  Late  Pullets 

"Under  lights  you  do  not  have  to  eliminate  from  your 
flock  so  many  late-coming  pullets,  either  those  later 
hatched  or  those  of  somewhat  slower  growth.  The  lights 
will  bring  them  along  so  well  that  but  few  will  need  i.o 
be  culled  out  as  late  starters.  The  lights  seem  to  be  a 
help  in  every  way,  but  especially  with  those  birds  that  are 
backward.  In  other  words,  the  lights  BRING  THEM 
ALONG,  if  used  properly  and  with  judgment  and  they  all 
start  to  lay  at  about  the  same  time.  For  this  reason  we 
let  them  lay  through  the  winter,  then  cull  out  the  early 
quitters.  This  is  becoming  more  or  less  the  rule  in  Erie 
County,  on  the  part  of  members  of  the  Cornell  Poultry 
Project.  Fortunately,  this  longer  day  by  the  use  of  arti- 
ficial light,  helps  most  in  proportion  to  the  need  of  the 
birds — that  is,  the  somewhat  later  or  undersized  birds  are 
helped   MOST,  proportionately  or  comparatively. 

"You  asked  me  what  I  think  of  the  matter  of  tem- 
perature in  our  poultry  houses  or  in  quarters  where  we 
keep  layers,  with  or  without  lights.  I  think  temperature 
is  going  to  play  an  important  part  in  colder  sections  of  the 
country.  Even  under  lights  birds  will  lay  especially  well 
until  a  severe  cold  snap  gets  them,  then  they  will  go  off 

COMPARISOJV    OF   EGG    PRODUCTION    BETWEEN    PI/ANTS 

USING   AND    NOT    USING    I.IGHTS    IN    ERIE 

COUNTY,  NEW  YORK 


April,  8014  31  6571  24-f- 

850                May,  Jun.  7301  34+  9179  434- 

675                May,  Jun.  1665     44-t-  2357  604-  1597  414- 

125                 May  5th  1622     134-  7376  594-  6762  544- 

400                  May  1st  3086  594- 

168                  May  1st  18,830     284-  23,330  354-  25,045  36 

2200                Apr.,  May  28  44  41 

*%  5350       74-  15,500  204-  10,625  154- 

2500  21%  24%  26% 

Gain  In  production  in 
per  cent  from  lights. 
•  Total  average  per  cent  production. 

Above  is  a  table  furnished  by  Mr.  Moseley,  of  Sunny 
Crest  Farm,  that  shows  a  comparison  of  flocks  under  lights, 
with  other  flocks  (totaling  2500  birds)  not  under  lights.  It 
will  be  noted  by  this  table  that  there  were  six  flocks  under 
lights,  ranging  from  125  birds  to  2200;  also  that  the  Novem- 
ber production  of  the  birds  under  lights  was  21  per  cent 
greater  than  from  the  birds  not  under  lights — three  times 
greater  in  fact;  that  the  December  production  was  24  per 
cent  greater — more  than  double,  and  that  the  January  pro- 
duction was  26  per  cent  greater,  or  nearly  twice  as  many 
eggs  as  were  laid  during  this  month  by  the  nonlighted 
flocks. 

fifteen  per  cent,  or  such  a  matter,  in  production.  This 
loss  of  eggs  at  the  high-price  time  of  the  year  is  serious 
— it  probably  comes  out  of  net  profits,  hence  we  should 
prevent  it  if  we  can. 

"The  members  of  the  Cornell  Project  in  this  county 
noticed  that  when  they  used  a  little  artificial  heat  this 
fifteen  per  cent  reduction  and  loss  was  avoided.  In  this 
connection  dry  litter  also  is  important — a  fact  that  you 
should  emphasize.  The  litter  absolutely  must  be  kept  dry 
for  greatest  egg  production. 

How  to  Moderate  the  Temperature 

"Sources  of  the  moderate  amount  of  heat  needed,  just 
enough  to  take  the  chill  out  of  the  air  and  keep  the  drink- 
ing water  from  freezing  can  be  obtained  in  different  ways, 
according  to  successful  practice  in  this  county.  Hot  water 
pipes  can  be  used,  either  just  under  the  floor  or  on  top, 
or  along  the  front  wall  beneath  the  windows.  Here  at 
Sunny  Crest  we  noticed  that  Pen  No.  1  in  No.  2  house 
gave  us  a  greater  egg  production  during  severe  cold 
weather,  to  the  extent  of  10  per  cent  or  more.    Our  men 


noticed  this  before  we  began  the  use  of  lights — noticed  it 
when  gathering  the  eggs  day  after  day.  Later,  we  con- 
nected this  increased  production  in  that  pen  with  the  fact 
tr.at  our  water  heater  for  the  plant  (hot  water  boiler)  was 
in  the  basement  right  underneath  that  pen.  It  kept  the 
floor  warm  and  a  surplus  of  warmed  air  would  come  up- 
the  stairs  into  the  vestibule  adjoining  Pen  1  and  thence 
found  its  way  into  that  pen.  The  combined  result  was 
that  water  would  not  freeze  in  this  pen  and  the  egg  yield, 
was  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent  better.  Also  this  _  conditioa 
helped  keep  the  litter  dry.  In  this  connection  let  me  direct 
your  attention  to  something  that  Mr.  Jordan  said  on  this, 
subject  four  years  ago,  as  published  in  the  Cornell  Coun- 
tryman: 

"  'An  instance  of  the  above  is  a  theory  of  the  writer 
that  some  day  we  will  see  poultry  plants  with  automatic 
temperature  control,  which  with  the  use  of  the  electric 
light,  and  careful  growing  of  green  food,  will  produce  con- 
ditions almost  identical  with  the  months  of  the  year  in 
which  the  birds  produce  the  greatest  number  of  eggs. 

"  'The  Sunny  Crest  Company  have  kept  temperature 
records  for  the  last  three  years  and  we  have  studied  the 
temperature  effect  on  birds,  as  well  as  general  climatic 
conditions.  We  found  that  the  temperature  seemed  to  be 
really  the  only  controlling  feature  and  that  the  effect  oi  a 
change  of  temperature  either  way  was  noted  on  the  sixth 
or  seventh  day  following  the  change. 

"  'If  we  could  now  devise  a  poultry  house  with  arti- 
ficial circulation  of  air,  big  and  roomy,  where  no  air  would 
come  in  exccDt  through  thermostatic  control,  the  writer 
believes  that  this,  combined  with  electric  light  and  fine 
green  food,  would  almost  duplicate  the  egg  production  of 
the  most  ideal  months  of  the  year.  After  we  have  made 
a  little  more  money,  Sunny  Crest  proposes  to  perform  an 
experiment  of  this  sort,  and  the  first  ones  to  know  of  the 
result  will  be  your  own   Cornell  University.' 

"Replying  to  your  question  about  other  kinds  of  heat 
used  on  the  Project  in  this  country,  will  say: 

"Some  use  natural  gas,  using  a  horseshoe  burner,  as 
we  call  it,   located  in  a  simple  form  of  heating  stove  or  , 
drum,   thus  to   secure  protection  from  fire.    Additional   to 
this   use   poultry   netting  around   the    stove,   a   little   ways 
removed,   to   keep   the   hens   away. 

"In  one  case  a  successful  poultryman  is  using  a  Can- 
dee  Incubator  Heater  of  well  known  pattern.  He  uses  tw'> 
pipes  along  the  floor  that  keep  the  litter  dry  and  the  tem- 
perature moderated.  Ordinary  oil  stoves  used  for  heating 
living  rooms  also  would  answer  the  purpose  but  no  doubt 
should  have  extra  care  against  fire  risk.  The  same  is  true, 
no  doubt,  of  coal  or  oil  stoves  commonly  used  for  heating 
colony  brooders.  They  can  be  used,  but  special  care  must 
be  exercised.  Of  course  the  flame  must  be  protected,  as 
is  done  in  using  these  heating  devices  for  broods  of  chicks. 
"You  ask  what  is  about  the  right  temperature.  Ac- 
cording to  our  experience  there  is  no  fixed  degree.  The 
problem  is  not  so  difficult  as  that.  To  date  our  advice 
would  be  just  enough  heat  to  offset  the  excessive  cold — 
to  take  the  gripping  chill  out  of  the  air  and  prevent  water 
from  freezing.  It  is  well  known  that  too  much  heat  is 
injurious  to  the  health  of  the  birds  and  will  have  results 
quite  opposite  to  those  we  want  This  use  of  too  much 
heat,  so  to  speak,  was  tried  in  Canada  some  years  ago, 
also  in  this  country  and  was  found  to  be  bad  for  the  birds. 
Just  take  the  chill  off  so  that  the  combs  are  not  frosted 
nor  the  drinking-water  allowed  to  freeze.  As  a  rule,  have 
the  heating  element  or  device  (if  it  is  an  oil  stove  or 
something  of  that  kind)  up  on  a  stand  or  platform,  so  the 
birds  cannot  get  near  it.  And  the  same  is  true  with  hot 
water  pipes.  They  should  be  protected  in  some  way  so 
the  birds  cannot  get  on  them  or  around  them.  If  a  new 
building  is  being  erected  and  is  to  have  a  concrete  floor, 
run  troughs  through  it  for  the  pipes,  or  even  place  the 
pipes  right  in  the   concrete. 

Fresh,  Pure  Air  is  Essential 
"Another  matter  of  importance  in  this  connection: 
"We  must  continue  to  give  the  birds  plenty  of  fresh 
air,  by  means  of  good  ventilation.  Our  advice  is  to  keep- 
the  windows  open,  when  using  most  methods  of  heating. 
JUST  AS  YOU  WOULD  WITHOUT  HEAT.  Let  me 
mention  further  that  this  use  of  a  little  heat  will  mean  a 
big  saving  in  litter.  In  former  years  we  had  to  throw- 
out  and  renew  litter  once  a  week— a  costly  method.  Now- 
each  winter  a  little  heat  prevents  this,  in  large  part" 

At  this  interview  we  asked  Mr.  Moseley  if  Sunny 
Crest  Farm  had  used  "check  pens"  in  testing  egg  produc- 


62 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG   PRODUCTION 


tion  under  lights  as  compared  with  production  of  other 
birds  not  under  lights.  He  replied  in  the  negative  and 
said,  in  substance: 

"Fiankly,  as  a  commercial  plant,  run  on  business 
lines,  we  do  not  like  to  spend  money  on  tests,  or  not  too 
much  of  it.  Let  the  State  Experiment  Stations  do  that. 
Is  not  that  largely  or  mainly  what  they  are  for?  Take 
our  case  for  example.  Four  or  five  years  ago  Mr.  Jordan 
did  not  want  to  hold  back  a  check  pen,  because  when  he 
found  out  that  the  use  of  lights  was  so  helpful,  in  the 
way  of  increased  production  and  so  beneficial  from  the 
financial  point  of  view,  very  naturally  he  wanted  to  put 
lights  throughout  all  our  houses — and  he  did  so.  Some- 
what later,  however,  a  number  of  poultry  plants  in  this 
section  made  comparative  tests  and  in  every  case  the 
results  were  highly  favorable  to  the  use  of  lights.  Am 
pleased  to  hand  you  herewith,  for  reproduction,  if  you 
so  desire,  the  first  temperature  chart  that  Mr.  Jordan 
kept  or  used  in  this  connection.  It  was  the  result  of 
this  study  that  caused  him  to  discover,  here  at  Sunny 
Crest,  the  wonderful  benefits  of  the  use  of  lights,  result- 
ing in  their  adoption  for  the  entire  plant."     (See  page  59.) 

At  the  time  of  this  visit  to  Sunny  Crest  they  were 
installing  a  new  electric  lighting  plant.  Previously  they 
had  used  an  independent  plant,  generating  their  own 
electricity,  but  by  this  time  the  village  of  East  Aurora 
was  able  to  make  it  more  satisfactory  for  them  to  buy 
power  from  the  village  plant,  as  sold  to  the  local  public. 
The  system  formerly  used  at  Sunny  Crest  is  known  as 
the  Gould  Storage  Battery  System,  manufactured  by  a 
concern  doing  business  in   Buffalo,   N.  Y. 

Asked  for  a  description  of  the  Sunny  Crest  method 
of  turning  the  electric  lights  on  and  off,  Mr.  Moseleysaid: 

"Referring  to  past  use  and  experience,  I  can  do  no 
bettei  than  to  give  you  the  following  description,  as  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  J.  P.  Jordan,  Piesident  of  Sunny  Crest  Farm, 
Inc.,  some  three  or  four  years  ago: 

"  'This  is  our  method  of  operating  the  lights.  We 
have  a  small  switchboard  which  consists  of  a  resist- 
ance on  the  back,  and  on  the  front  of  the  board  a  series 
of  five  alarm  clock  snap  switches.  Whenever  it  becomes 
dark  in  the  afternoon  the  lights  are  turned  on.  At  eight 
o'clock  at  night  an  alarm  goes  off  and  releases  a  spring 
switch  which  throws  a  light  resistance  into  the  current. 
From  five  to  ten  minutes  later,  the  second  clock  throws 
in  still  more  resistance.  This  dims  the  lights  so  that  it 
makes  it  difficult  for  the  birds  to  see  enough  to  pick  up 


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AN  ILLUSTRATION  OP  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  USING  CLEAN  LITTER 
The  above  chart  shows  in  graphic  manner  the  egg  production  of  a 
flock  of  440  Leghorn  hen.s  on  a  New  York  egg  farm,  from  January  21st 
to  March  2nd  The  litter  was  badly  soiled  and  should  have  been  removed 
by  January  25th.  Instead,  it  was  not  changed  until  February  15th.  The 
black  line,  which  indicates  the  egg  yield,  shows  the  result.  It  pays  to 
change   the   litter   often   enough   to   keep    it   reasonably   clean.      Note    in 

interview  herewith  what  Mr.  Moseley  says  about  the  importance  of  i._.  _f  ACTrirnUnrp  nn  the  inhiert-  "Influence 
clean  litter.  Needless  to  say  this  graph  does  not  show  conditions  that  '^/?„°*  ^'S^l5Ultu^e,  on  the  subject,  intluence 
have  existed  on  Sunny  Crest  Farm,  as  managed  by  Mr.  Moseley.  of  Illummation  On  The  Characters  Indicat  ng 


food.  From  five  to  ten  minutes  later,  the  third  clock 
throws  in  still  more  resistance,  which  brings  the  light 
down  to  a  red  glow,  too  dark  for  the  birds  to  see  any- 
thing except  the  roost  and  how  to  get  to  their  place  for 
the  night.  The  fourth  clock  snaps  the  light  out  for  the 
night.  At  from  five  to  five-thirty  the  next  morning,  the 
fifth  clock  throws  the  switch,  turning  on  all  lights  full 
strength,  upon  which  the  birds  hustle  off  the  roosts,  re- 
minding one  of  Niagara  Falls,  seemingly  glad  to  get 
down  and  do  some  good  hard  work  to  get  warmed  up.' 

"Our  further  advice  in  this  connection,  is  to  give 
plenty  of  light.  We  have  obtained  best  results  by  use 
of  a  60-watt  light  in  the  center  of  each  pen,  16x18  feet 
in  size.  Two  60-watt  lights  also  will  give  excellent  re- 
sults in  pens  20x20,  especially  so  if  the  inside  walls  are 
painted  white.  Also  be  sure  to  whiten  the  ceiling.  Use 
white  paint  or  whitewash.  We  use  Carbola,  a  disinfecting 
white  paint,  manufactured  by  one  of  your  R.  P.  J.  adver- 
tisers, the  Carbola  Chemical  Company,  Inc.,  Dept.  M, 
7  East  42nd  St.,  New  York  City,  N.  Y." 

At  the  time  of  this  visit,  August  7th,  there  were  but 
few  signs  of  molting.  Mr.  Moseley  stated  that  they  had 
done  no  culling  during  the  preceding  six  weeks  and  then 
had  taken  out  only  a  crateful  from  a  house  that  con- 
tained about  1500  fourteen  to  sixteen  months'  old  birds. 
The  combs  were  all  bright  red,  the  egg  yield  was  aver- 
aging high  and  the  birds  showed  no  appearance  of  phy- 
sical debility  from  heavy  laying  "under  lights,"  starting 
in  the  early  fall  of  1918  and  continuing  to  August  7, 
1919.  These  layers,  also  the  numerous  pens  of  breeding 
hens,  were  an  even  lot,  ranging  in  weight  from  4  lbs. 
to  S  lbs.  each  and  showing  every  sign  of  contentment. 

In  recording  temperature  in  poultry  houses,  extending 
over  a  period  of  several  years,  Messrs.  Jordan  and  Mose- 
ley have  used  the  Bristol  Recording  Thermometer,  made 
by  the  Bristol  Thermometer  Company,  Waterbury,  Conn. 
This  is  a  clock  affair,  so  to  speak,  that  records  tempera- 
ture and  charts  it  by  the  use  of  red  lines — does  it  auto- 
matically day  and  night,  when  in  operation. 

Mr.  Moseley  was  asked  if  they  believed,  at  Sunny 
Crest,  in  using  eggs  for  hatching  purposes  that  are  laid 
by  pullets  or  hens  that  have  been  under  lights  during  the 
preceding  fall  and  winter.  Replying,  he  said,  in  substance: 
"To  a  considerable  extent,  that  is  uncharted  terri- 
tory, but  we  do  believe  this:  Start  your  hens  under  lights 
in  January  for  the  production  of  hatching  eggs  in  Feb- 
ruary, depending  on  how  early  you  want  eggs  for  this 
purpose.  The  birds  thus  to  be  bred  from 
L  should  be  placed  under  lights  about  four  weeks 
before  you  wish  to  incubate  their  eggs.  But 
at  present  we  do  not  believe  it  is  safe  or  good 
practice  to  keep  breeders  under  lights  all  fall 
and  winter. 

"Our  poultrymen  around  here  do  this  quite 
extensively — that  is,  put  the  lights  on  their 
birds  four  or  five  weeks  before  they  want  to 
incubate  the  eggs,  and  with  uniformly  good 
results.  One  man  near  here  was  getting  only 
about  four  eggs  a  day,  from  a  flock  of  nearly 
200  should-be  layers.  In  a  week's  time  he  was 
getting  over  forty  eggs  a  day  and  the  total 
yield  kept  on  going  up  until  it  passed  the  one 
hundred  mark.  That  was  early  in  February 
and  these  birds  had  been  kept  over  for  breed- 
ing purposes.  About  March  1st  he  took  the 
lights  off.  and  they  kept  at  it — kept  laying 
right  along  above  the  hundred  mark.  By  the 
use  of  lights  he  appeared  to  get  them  well 
started — and  after  that  they  did  not  let  up 
all  spring.  This  might  be  regarded  as  a  single 
case,  but  the  facts  are  as  I  have  stated — re- 
ferring to  the  taking  off  of  the  lights — and 
therefore  this  man's  experience  is  worth  re- 
porting." 

"Lights"  Also   Help    Hatchability 

At  this  point  in  the  interview,  editor  of  R. 
P.  J.  read  three  or  four  paragraphs  from  the 
report  of  the  address  of  Jas.  E.  Rice,  Professor 
of   Poultry   Husbandry,   New  York   State   Col- 


MORE  "LIGHTING"  FACTS  FROM  SUNNY  CREST  FARM 


63 


The    Laying    Capacity   of   Fowls,"    as    same   is    published 
later  on  in  this  book.     Following  are  the  paragraphs: 

"Colored  charts  exhibited  by  Prof.  Rice  showed  a  corre- 
lation of  these  several  points,  Including  actual  egg  produc- 
tion, with  earlier  changes  of  external  characters,  earlier 
molting  of  the  individual  birds,  etc.  He  also  spoke  at  some 
length  about  the  'Fertility  and  Hatchability  of  Eggs  Pro- 
duced Under  Lights',  in  connection  with  these  1919  tests  and 
exhibited  tables  that  showed  some  surprising  records.  Re- 
ferring to  this  particular  phase  of  the  subject,  he  said  in 
substance: 

"  'Perhaps  I  ought  not  give  out  this  information  at  pres- 
ent, for  fear  it  may  prove  misleading.  It  takes  more  than 
one  swallow  to  make  a  summer  and  we  do  not  as  yet  have 
the  data  to  justify  us  in  drawing  conclusions  in  regard  to 
this  very  important  matter,  let  alone  proclaiming  any  posi- 
tive or  definite  correlation.  On  the  other  hand,  this  infor- 
mation is  of  such  vital  Interest  that  I  felt  you  should  have 
it,  with  these  WORDS  OF  CAUTION  as  to  the  very  limited 
amount  of  data  on  which  it  is  based.  If  this  one  test  proves 
to  be  the  rule,  rather  than  an  exception,  of  that  we  may  be 
sure.  Perhaps  it  is  true  and  dependable,  but  we  cannot  be 
sure  of  that  until  we  have  ample  confirmation.' 

"The  foregoing  timely  and  earnest  remarks  by  Prof.  Rice 
were  meant  to  apply  particularly  to  a  special  table  of  fig- 
ures he  exhibited,  showing  the  influence  of  artificial  illum- 
ination on  the  fertility  and  hatchability  (especially  the 
latter)  of  eggs  laid  by  certain  S.  C.  White  Leghorns  kept 
under  lights  in  tests  started  November  4,  1918,  and  con- 
tinued  to  June  15,   1919,   and   thereafter. 

"Briefly  stated,  eggs  were  incubated  from  ten  test- 
pens  'under  lights'  and  these  results  developed:  the  eggs 
from  the  check  pen  of  hens  not  under  lights  produced  51% 
in  live,  strong  chicks,  while  the  pen  that  had  lights  from 
3:00  a.  m.  each  day  during  the  period  until  dawn,  gave  56% 
in  good  lively  chicks.  In  the  case  of  pullets,  the  check  pen 
not  under  lights  produced  56%  in  good  chicks,  while  the  pen 
of  puUets  that  were  given  the  lights  from  3:00  a.  m.  until 
dawn  each  day  during  the  period  produced  75%  in  satis- 
factory chicks.  The  other  pens  'under  lights'  for  different 
hours  (morning  or  evening,  one  or  both)  and  in  different 
amounts,  did  quite  well  in  hatchability,  but  not  equal  to 
the  pen  of  hens  and  the  pen  of  pullets  that  had  the  lights 
from  3:00  a.  m.  until  dawn.  It  appears  that  in  this  partic- 
ular case  (see  results  given  further  along  in  this  report) 
the  birds,  both  hens  and  pullets,  that  were  under  the  lights 
from  3:00  a.  m.  until  dawn,  not  only  laid  the  most  eggs 
throughout  the  test  period,  but  also  laid  eggs  that  were 
highest  in  hatchability — that  gave  the  greatest  percentage 
of  good  strong  chicks." 

Referring  to  the  above,  Mr.  Moseley  said,  in  sub- 
stance.: 

"We  have  found  that  to  be  true  here  at  Sunny  Crest, 
also  elsewhere  in  Erie  County.  Of  course  if  hens  or  pul- 
lets are  forced  into  molt,  that  is  different.  It  begins  to 
look  as  though  pullets  that  have  been  under  lights  all 
winter  will  give  good  hatchability.  We  have  been  slow  +o 
reach  this  conclusion,  but  have  had  a  number  of  reports 
in  this  country  to  that  effect — that  higher  percentages 
were  obtained  from  eggs  laid  by  hens  under  lights  than 
from  hens  not  under  lights.  Evidently,  therefore,  the 
lights  truly  agree  with  them,  if  not  overdone. 

"Speaking  for  ourselves,  based  on  our  own  experi- 
ments and  records,  I  will  say  this:  we  do  not  hesitate  to 
put  lights  on  hens  during  January  and  February  to  speed 
up  production  for  hatching  purposes.  When  we  first  did 
this,  the  high  fertility  and  good  hatchability  were  a  sur- 
prise to  me,  because  we  had  been  taught  to  believe  that 
high  production,  even  without  lights,  would  not  give  high 
percentage  hatches,  but  not  so  under  lights,  if  other  fac- 
tors are  what  they  should  be. 

"Furthermore,  I  do  not  see  why  we  cannot  use  eggs 
in  the  springtime  to  good  advantage  from  well-matured 
pullets  that  begin  to  lay  in  the  fall  and  lay  well  during 
the  winter  under  lights.  We  are  going  to  try  it — to  test 
it  out,  this  coming  season  here  at  Sunny  Crest,  using  600 
choice  yearling  pullets  for  the  purpose. 

"While  working  on  the  Erie  County  Project,  I  found 
out  that  the  use  of  lights  can  be  overdone — that  they  can 
be  kept  on  too  long,  for  too  many  hours  out  of  twenty- 
four.  We  have  reached  the  conclusion  that  fourteen  to 
fifteen  hours  is  about  right  for  us  in  this  latitude  and  cli- 
mate— that  we  get  best  results  on  that  schedule.  Use  of 
the  lights,  or  a  workday  that  starts  at  5:30  a.  m.,  and 
ends  at  7:30  p.  m.  is  a  good  practical  plan,  as  regards  the 
egg  yield  and  it  also  is  convenient  for  the  poultryman, 
for  the  attendant.  In  Erie  County,  also  here  at  Sunny 
Crest,  we  have  tried  both,  the  fourteen-hour  day  and  the 
fifteen-hour  day  and  could  see  but  little  difference. 

"Now,  as  befoie  stated,  we  are  going  to  test  the  morn- 
ing plan — from  3:00  a.  m.  till  dawn,  starting  August  ISth, 
or  possibly  a  little  later  and  when  the  days  grow  dark 
early  in  the  afternoon  we  may  use  the  lights  up  to  6:00 
p.  m.  The  experiment  or  tests  during  the  winter  of  1918 
were  not  conclusive  enough  to  prove  that  the  morning 
light  is  best  during  cold  severe  weather,  as  last  winter 
here  with  us  was  a  moderate  one. 

"So   far,   since    October   1st,   1918,    the   morning   light 


has  worked  perfectly  in  our  case  and  at  this  time  we 
have  between  1500  and  1600  yearling  hens  that  have 
not  started  to  molt,  yet  are  laying  about  50  per  cent 
production,  after  having  been  under  lights  all  last  win- 
ter and  spring.  We  are  going  to  give  this  new  schedule 
(Cornell,  November  4,  1918,  to  June  IS,  1919)  a  fair  test  ^ 
and  if  it  gives  maximum  results,  as  compared  with  a 
more  convenient  schedule,  we  shall  continue  it.  I  refer 
to  the  use  of  the  lights  in  the  morning  only — that  is, 
from  3:00  a.  m.  till  dawn.  Prof.  Rice's  theory  is  that 
despite  extremely  cold  weather  these  birds,  if  lighted  as 
early  as  3:00  a.  m.,  will  get  off  the  roosts,  go  to  work, 
exercise  vigorously  and  thus  warm  up  and  do  better  lay- 
ing as  a  result.  Experiments  will  show  more  about  this 
before  long,  and  we  then  can  be  governed  accordingly." 

FEEDING  FOWLS  UNDER  ELECRIC  LIGHTS 

Notes  By  R.  S.  Moseley,  General  Manager  Sunny  Crest 

Poultry  Farm,  East  Aurora,   N.  Y.,  Written 

Under  Date,  October  16,  1919 

ttT^RUST  that  the  following  feeding  schedule  and  notes 
-*-  may  be  of  interest  and  benefit  to   many  readers  of 
R.    P.   J.   and   of   your   forthcoming   book   on   the   use   of 
artificial   light  to   increase  egg  production. 

"At  7  a.  m.  give  three  quarts  of  grain  food  to  one 
hundred  hens. 

"At  9  a.  m.  scatter  a  good-sized  handful  for  the  oiie 
hundred  hens  in  eight  inches  of  dry  litter  and  at  this 
time  feed  all  the  green  food  the  hens  will  clean  up  in  one 
hour,  giving  them  sprouted  oats,  cabbage  or  mangel  beets. 

"At  3  p.  m.  scatter  another  handful  of  wheat  in  litter 
for  each  one  hundred  hens. 

"Night:  Feed  all  grain  that  birds  can  practically 
clean  up.  A  small  quantity,  however,  left  over  at  he 
time  they  go  to  roost  will  afford  healthful  exercise  early 
in  the  morning. 

"If  sprouted  oats  are  fed  in  large  quantities  in  the 
morning  or  early  forenoon,  the  giain  fed  can  be  cut  down 
to  two  quarts  for  the  morning  ration. 

"With  us  the  straw  is  raked  to  the  front  of  the  lay- 
ing pen  where  the  windows  are,  each  day  or  two,  so  that 
the  litter  will  be  evenly  distributed  for  exercise.  Birds 
face  the  light  when  scratching  for  grain  and  therefore,  as 
a  rule,  kick  the  litter  to  the  rear  of  the  pen. 

"I  firmly  believe  that  one  reason  for  many  poultry- 
men's  flocks  shutting  down  on  laying  in  the  summer  is 
that  the  houses  or  laying  pens  receive  but  little  at- 
tention in  the  way  of  proper  litter.  Also  at  this  season 
other  things  quite  commonly  are  left  undone  that  would 
detract  from  cheerfulness  and  health-giving  properties  in 
the  surroundings  of  the  birds,  not  to  mention  such  things 
as  lice  and  mites. 

"The  actual  condition  of  oui  birds,  both  layers  and 
breeders,  is  the  big  controlling  factor  for  high  produc- 
tion, outside  of  heiedity.  BE  YOUR  HENS'  COMMON- 
SENSE  DOCTOR  BY  WATCHING  THEIR  CONDI- 
TION! You  will  find  that  when  they  get  loose  feathered 
and  the  production  goes  down,  their  livers  probably  are 
enlarged.  That  means  not  enough  exercise,  and  the  best 
way  to  make  them  work  (exercise  properly)  is  by  the 
use  of  GOOD,  DEEP,  DRY  LITTER.  The  cost  of  litter 
of  this  kind  is  but  a  small  part,  as  compared  with  the 
benefit  through  having  it  in  use — plenty  of  it — and  chang- 
ing it  often  enough  to  keep  it  dry  and  healthful. 
Winter   Dry   Mash  At  Sunny   Crest 

"Our  mash  consists  of  the  following: 

"One  hundred  pounds  bran. 

"One    hundred    twenty-five    pounds    corn    meal. 

"One   hundred   pounds   red   dog   flour. 

"Fifty  pounds  grounds  oats  heavy  and  ground  fine. 

"Fifty   pounds   ground   barley. 

"Seventy-five  pounds  meat  scrap  if  buttermilk  is  used, 
otherwise  one  hundred  pounds  meat  scrap.  Semisolid  but- 
termilk (a  commercial  article)  diluted,  one  and  one-half 
pints  to  ten  to  twelve  quarts  of  water,  is  given  both  morn- 
ing and  afternoon — about  one  pailful  per  hundred  hens  a 
day — that  is,  half  a  pailful  at  each  feeding. 

"Our  hoppers  for  two  pens  (built  in  the  partitions) 
each  hold  2,100  pounds  of  dry  mash  and  are  long  (see 
illustration  on  page  57),  thereby  giving  the  flocks  plenty 
of  lineal  space.  If  it  is  found  at  Sunny  Crest  that  the  birds 
lack  appetite  or  appear  rather  logy,  the  mash  hoppers  are 
shut  down  for  a  period  of  three  or  four  hours  in  the  fore- 
noon. 


Late  Interview  With  Dr.  Waldorf  on  Artificial  Lighting 

TESTED  THIS  PLAN  THREE  OR  MORE  SEASONS,  BACK  IN  THE  LATE 
EIGHTIES  AND  IS  DEEPLY  INTERESTED  IN  RECENT  COUNTRY- WIDE  PRO- 
GRESS OF  THE  METHOD,  ON  COMMERCIAL  BASIS  —  SUBMITS  TO  INTER- 
VIEWS AND  TELLS  OF  OTHER  IMPORTANT  FACTORS  NECESSARY  FOR 
SECURING  THE  DESIRED  RESULTS  IN  HIGH  EGG  PRODUCTION  —  MODER- 
ATE     TEMPERATURE      NEEDED     FOR     A      MOST      PROFITABLE      YIELD 

Report  By  EDITOR  ofR.  p.  J. 


THIS  spring  and  summer,  in  time  for  publication 
early  next  fall,  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  is  to  compile 
a  book  on  the  use  of  artificial  illumination  for 
increasing  egg  production  during  the  short-day  period  of 
the  year.  Considerable  material  already  has  been  col- 
lected and  arrangements  are  under  way  to  secure  reliable 
data,  giving  the  results  of  this  method,  as  practiced  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  in  New  York  State  and  elsewhere.  In- 
terested  readers   are   hereby   invited   to   write   us   on   the 


OOBEELATIOH  OP  PHODTICTION  WITH  EOF/  WEISHI 

EISHT  BEEBM  ^ 

Weight  In  ronnds  ^ 


^ 

§270-241 

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7 

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°    60-31 

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170 

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m 

isa 

VINELAND,  N.  J..  EGG  CONTEST  RESULTS 

Above  table  shows  eg-g-  production  for  two  years, 
November  1,  1916-October  31,  1918,  as  made  by  600  Leghorns 
(mostly  White  Leghorns,  but  a  few  Blacks  and  Buffs)  at 
International  Laying  and  Breeding  Contest,  Vineland,  N.  J. 
Down  the  left-hand  side  is  egg  production,  ranging  from 
one  egg  at  bottom  to  300  eggs  at  top.  Weights  of  birds  are 
shown  across  top  of  table.  It  will  be  noted  that  two  of  this 
total  number  of  birds  laid  between  271  and  300  eggs;  that 
twenty  laid  between  241  and  270  eggs,  etc.  Also  note  par- 
ticularly that  the  great  majority  of  these  eggs  were  laid 
by  pullets  and  hens  that  weighed  between  3  lbs.  and  4% 
lbs.,  which  also  conforms  closely  to  the  official  Standard 
weights  for  Leghorns  (as  set  forth  in  the  American  Stand- 
ard of  Perfection)  which  are  as  follows:  pullet,  ZV^  lbs.; 
hen.  4  lbs.  Observe  that  the  birds  that  weighed  less  than 
S  lbs.  did  not  lay  very  well,  nor  did  those  that  weighed 
more  than  5  lbs. 


subject,  meaning  in  particular  those  who  have  inform- 
ation to  supply  or  suggestions  to  offer.  A  main  object  is 
to  have  this  R.  P.  J.  book  contain  a  quite  full  treatment 
of  the  subject  right  down  to  date,  all  material  to  be  from 
reliable   sources. 

In  the  above  mentioned  book  we  shall  want  to  give 
credit  to  whom  credit  is  due.  One  question  of  interest 
will  be:  Who  first  conceived  the  idea  of  lengthening  the 
workday  of  domestic  fowl,  especially  during  the  late  fall 
and  winter  months,  by  supplying  artificial  lights?  Facts 
and  information  on  this  point  are  invited  from  the  public 
in  geneial.  So  far  as  writer  now  knows,  E.  C.  Waldorf, 
M.  D.,  Bufltalo,  N.  Y.,  was  the  first  to  employ  this  method, 
and  his  "primary  reason  for  attempting  forced  ovulation 
was  not  to  obtain  more  eggs  from  a  given  number  of  hens 
in  »  specified  time,  but  to  secure  eggs  of  the  highest  hatch- 
able  quality."  The  foregoing  sentence  is  quoted  from  an 
article  by  Dr.  Waldorf,   published   in  the   February,   1915, 


issue  of  R.  P.  J.,  entitled  "Ten  Eggs  Per  Week  Per  Hen 
and  How  it  Was  Done,"  from  which  article  we  quote 
further,  as  follows: 

"This  suggestion  developed  from  the  fact  that  the 
eggs  from  hens  laying  five  to  seven  eggs  per  week  hatched 
much  better  than  did  the  eggs  from  the  same  hens  when 
laying  fewer  eggs  per  week.  Close  observations  along 
these  lines  were  made  for  two  seasons.  It  was  also  ob- 
served in  connection  with  these  experiments  that  only 
the  dense  eggs  hatched  in  high  percentage  and  that  the 
density  of  the  eggs  was  not  lessened  while  or  dur- 
ing increased  egg  production.  With  these  facts 
established,  I  began  my  first  attempt  in  forced  egg 
production  in  December,  1889. 

"These  experiments  were  made  on  the  premises 
of  Patrick  Kinney,  56  York  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  A 
hen  house  for  the  purpose  was  erected,  measuring 
12x16  feet,"  etc.      *     *     * 

In  the  article  referred  to  (published  in  R.  P.  J> 
February,  191S)  under  a  sub-heading,  "Prolonged 
Their  Day  Artificially,"  Dr.  Waldorf  reported  as 
follows: 

"The  proper  length  of  daylight  was  provided  for 
by  the  installation  of  four,  100-candle  power,  Ar- 
gand  gas  burners  suspended  from  the  first  ceiling 
(first  floor  ceiling — house  was  three  stories  high) 
one  foot  from  the  outside  edge  and  five  feet  from 
the  ground.  Each  burner  was  provided  with  a 
large  reflector,  throwing  the  light  directly  down- 
ward. These  lights  were  controlled  by  an  auto- 
matic time  adjuster  and  were  turned  on  at  3:30  a. 
m.  and  off  again  at  7:30.  They  were  turned  on 
again  at  5:00  p.  m.  and  off  at  8:00  p.  m.  for  the 
night.  The  results  of  these  tests  were  published 
in  the  Clyde  Times,  Clyde,  N.  Y.,  in  February, 
1889,  the  complete  daily  record  having  since  been 
mislaid  or  lost." 

The  last  paragraph  of  Dr.  Waldorf's  report  or 
article  as  published  in  R.  P.  J.,  February,  1915,  was 
as  follows: 

"The  interesting  tests  here  described  would  have 
been  continued  had  not  the  fire  underwriters  ob- 
jected to  the  use  of  gas  (for  heating  and  lighting- 
purposes)     in    that    manner.    Electricity    and    the 

^       tungsten  bulb  offer  today  a   far  better  light  with 

■       no   risk,   and   such   illuminant   is   much    to   be   pre- 
ferred, not  only  on  account  of  less  risk,  but  alsck 
from  an  absence  of  dust  in  the  burner  itself." 

Late  Interview  With  Dr.  Waldorf 

En  route  home  from  Boston  and  Garden  Shows,  Jan- 
uary, this  year,  writer  spent  four  days  in  Buffalo  and  vicin- 
ity, including  a  visit  to  Sunny  Crest  Farm,  East  Aurora, 
and  had  two  interviews  with  Dr.  Waldorf.  They  were 
short  owing  to  the  fact  that  at  that  time  he  was  extra. 
busy.  He  still  follows  his  profession  and  enjoys  a  large 
practice.  We  wanted  to  refresh  our  memory  in  regard  xo 
those  early  experiments  of  his,  or  our  understanding  of 
them,  also  to  get  new  light  on  the  subject,  especially  with 
reference  to  the  right  temperature  for  prolific  egg  yield 
where  the  lighting  system,  so-called,  is  used  during  the 
late  fall  and  winter  months  in  northern  latitudes. 

The  interview  published  herewith  was  not  submitted 
to  Dr.  Waldorf  in  written  form,  owing  to  lack  of  time,  and 
as   the   subject   matter   is   more   or   less  technical   we   ask 


LATE  INTERVIEW  WITH  DR.  WALDORF  ON  ARTIFICIAL      LIGHTING 


65 


readers  of  R.  P.  J.  not  to  hold  Dr.  Waldorf  responsible  for 

the  exact  wording,  or  shades  of  meaning.     With  this  ex- 
planation, here  is  what  we  understand  Dr.  Waldorf  to  say: 

"As  reported  in  your  Journal  some  four  years  ago,  I 
started  those  experiments,  back  in  the  late  eighties,  not 
to  find  out  how  large  a  number  of  eggs  I  could  obtai  i 
per  hen  per  month  or  from  a  given  number  of  hens  in 
any  stated  length  of  time  during  the  winter,  but  my  ob- 
ject was  to  increase  fertility  and  improve  the  hatchability 
of  the  eggs,  also  to  improve  the  vigor  of  the  chicks  to  be 
hatched  from  these  eggs.  However,  1  had  heard  previously 
that  in  sections  of  southern  China  it  was  not  unusual  for 
poultry  keepers  to  get  seven,  eight  and  even  nine  eggs 
per  hen  per  week. 

"In  thinking  over  the  subject  I  decided  to  study  the 
food  and  chemical  elements  of  eggs  and  their  develop- 
ment in  the  organism  of  fowls,  with  a  view  to  aiding  all  I 
could  in  their  production.  I  not  only  wanted  plenty  of 
eggs  as  to  numbers,  but  also  wished  to  have  them  strongly 
fertile,  so  they  would  hatch  altogether,  so  to  speak. 

"After  some  study  I  decided  that  the  necessary  nutri- 
tive elements  must  be  supplied  and  in  an  easy  form 
for  conveision  in  hatchable  eggs  that  would  pro- 
duce strong  germs,  embryos  and  chicks.  Then  i 
built  the  special  three-story  house,  as  described  in 
detail  in  your  journal  several  years  ago — a  house 
12x16  feet,  heated  with  hot  water  pipes  and  ar- 
ranged to  give  quiet  and  secrecy  or  seclusion  to  the 
fowls.  The  different  pens  were  separated  by  tight 
board  partitions  and  all  windows  were  three  feet 
above  the  floors,  so  the  fowls  could  not  look  out 
and  become  discontented  or  see  banks  of  snow  and 
ice. 

Moderate   Temperatures   For   Best   Results 

"It  will  be  found  by  those  now  experimenting 
in  this  field  that  moderate  temperature  is  required, 
together  with  a  longer  workday,  in  order  to  get 
the  desired  increased  production.  In  this  three- 
story  poultry  house  of  mine  there  were  four  pens 
on  the  ground,  as  first  constructed.  One  pen, 
the  one  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  house,  was 
about  five  degrees  colder  than  the  others,  and  I 
soon  noticed  the  difference  in  the  egg  yield  dur- 
ing cold  periods.  Later  I  corrected  this  differ- 
ence by  changing  the  hot  water  piping.  For  best 
results  for  these  test  pens,  or  where  high  egg  pro- 
luction  is  desired  in  the  short-day  period  of  the 
(Tear,  the  temperature  should  not  be  below  50  de- 
grees Fahrenheit,  while  55  to  60  degrees  gives  the 
best  results.  However,  it  ought  not  to  be  above 
60,  because  in  warmer  temperatures  than  this  the 
fowls  soon  become  seriously  lousy  unless  given 
frequent  attention. 

"Hot  water   pipes   were   used    for   warming   the 
three-story    poultry    house    and    the    return    flow 
pipes  passed  through  the  food  troughs  or  hoppers 
to  keep  the  mash  warm  in  cold  weather.    They  also 
passed  through  the  dust  troughs  or  bins  in  which 
sand,  dust  and  coal  ashes  were  kept  for  the  fowls  to 
wallow  in.     I   also   cooked   all   food,   including  the   green 
food   and   meat   food.     I   wanted   it   easily   digestible   and 
quickly  assimilated.     At  that  time   I   considered   seriously 
the  question  of  putting  a  predigested  poultry  feed  on  the 
market,   but   my   practice    as    a    physician   made    this    im- 
practical. 

"The  nests  were  specially  secluded  and  this  is  essen- 
tial to  prolific  yield.  Fowls  are  timid.  In  the  matter  of 
nesting  and  laying,  during  tests  of  this  kind,  also  when 
kept  for  commercial  profit,  the  layers  should  not  be  dis- 
turbed. They  should  be  fed  regularly  BY  THE  CLOCK, 
also  by  the  same  person,  dressed  in  the  same  clothes,  and 
gentleness  should  be  the  rule.  I  recall  distinctly  the  case 
of  a  neighbor — a  woman  who  was  interested  in  poultry 
and  who  wanted  to  look  inside  my  poultry  house  and  see 
the  fowls.  Finally  I  yielded  against  my  better  judgement 
and  although  she  was  in  the  pens  only  a  few  minutes,  it 
took  several  days  to  get  those  fowls  back  to  full  laying. 
Within  a  few  moments  after  she  entered  the  house  the 
hens  began  to  cackle  and  they  grew  more  and  more  ner- 
vous and  restless  till  I  asked  the  women  to  come  away. 
Eggs  Are  About  85  Per  Cent  Water 
"Water — fresh,  pure  water,  is  of  vital  importance. 
Poultry  keepers   need   to   remember  that  85   per   cent   of 


the  contents  of  the  egg  is  water.  If  fowls  under  test  or 
kept  for  commercial  profit  cannot  at  all  times  get  good 
drinking  water  WHEN  NEEDED,  this  will  break  up  the 
laying  habit  and  cost  one,  two  or  three  eggs  per  fowl  per 
week  in  the  case  of  birds  thus  mistreated  or  neglected. 

"Yes,  I  believe  that  fowls  have  intelligence,  also  that 
will  power  is  involved,  when  it  comes  to  the  matter  of 
their  laying  or  not  laying,  at  least  in  many  cases.  This 
must  be  so,  because  a  change  of  quarters,  any  real  dis- 
turbance, also  fright,  causes  the  nesting  desire  to  decrease, 
or  the  fowl  can  check  it  voluntarily  and  will  do  so  on 
slight  provocation.  That  is  why  gentleness  should  be  the 
rule  if  high  egg  production  is  sought,  either  per  fowl  or 
from  a  pen  or  flock. 

"If  uniform  or  concurrent  hatching  is  to  be  obtained 
in  the  case  of  eggs  set  at  the  same  time  or  placed  in  an 
incubator,  these  eggs  MUST  NOT  be  allowed  to  undergo 
incubating  temperature  till  the  regular  period  is  started. 
This  temperature  exists  in  the  fowl  that  is  to  lay  the  egg; 
therefore  the  eggs  when  formed  should  move  normally 
from  her  because  if  retained  they  will   start  to  incubate 


lOHEElATIOB  OF  PRODUOTIOH  WITH  BODT  WEIGHT 

HEAVY  BREEDS                                    h 
Weight  In  Pounds                              o 

p.h    7.5   7.0fi  K    R  n    K  B  K  (1  4  B   A  n  .^i  .-s   .'^  n  R  .<;   s.n  ^ 

300-e71 

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69 

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151 

141 

124 

138 

VINELAND   EGG   LAYING  CONTEST   RESULTS 

Above  table  shows  egg  production,  pullet  year,  of  Ply- 

'       mouth  Rocks,  Wyandottes  and  Rhode  Island  Reds  at  Vine- 

1       land  Contest.  Weights  are  shown  across  top  of  table.    Down 

the    left-hand    side    is    egg    production,    ranging    from    one 

j       egg   at   bottom    to    300   eggs   at   top.     It   will   be   noted   that 

'        four   birds   laid   between   271   and   300   eggs   each   In   the   365 

days;   that  five  laid   between   241   and   270   eggs  in  the  same 

period,   etc.    This   table   also   shows   that   the   great   bulk   of 

the   eggs   laid   by   the   400   birds  here   represented  were   laid 

by  pullets  and  hens  that  weighed  between  4%   and  IVz  lbs., 

which    corresponds    very    well    %vith    the    official    Standard 

weights    of    the    Plymouth    Rocks,    Wyandottes    and    Rhode 

Island    Reds — see   latest   edition   of   the   American    Standard 

of    Perfection    for    e.Kact    weights.      These     birds     were    not 

"under    lights." 

and  as  a  result  will  be  advanced  twelve  or  more  hours. 

"This  is  not  desirable  for  best  results  in  hatching.  And 
after  the  eggs  are  in  the  nest  they  should  be  gathered 
regularly,  at  least  twice  a  day,  especially  during  sum- 
mer weather  so  that  other  laying  hens  or  brooding  hens 
will  not  advance  them  another  hour,  or  two  or  three  hours, 
as  the  case  may  be.  Then  after  these  eggs  are  gathered 
they  should  be  kept  in  a  cool  temperature  until  ready  to 
incubate  them  regularly.  Poultrymen  do  gather  their  eggs 
regularly,  as  a  rule,  but  not  so  on  many  farms. 
Protect  Hens  In  Molting  Period 

"Advise  your  readers  to  be  sure  to  keep  males  away 
fiom  hens  in  the  molting  period.  Eggs  not  laid  at  this 
time  shrink  down  to  the  size  of  small  peas  and  even 
smaller.  In  this  condition  the  male  germ  attaches  to  them, 
joins  the  female  germ  and  BOTH  ARE  BLIGHTED. 
Later  when  these  eggs  develop,  the  female  germ  is  dead 
and  a  new  male  germ  is  of  no  benefit  in  the  case  of  these 
particular  eggs.  Such  eggs  will  not  hatch  or  if  the  blight 
is  not  complete,  as  may  sometimes  be  the  case,  it  means 
chicks  dead  in  the  shell.  One  to  two  dozen  eggs  per  hen 
may  be  rendered  unhatchable  in  this  way,  with  no  benefit 
whatever  to  the  owner  of  the  hens  or  to  any  one  who 
tries  in  vain  to  hatch  such  eggs.  In  the  case  of  large 
numbers  of  hens  it  means  considerable  loss,  and  as  a  rule 


66 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


the  incubator  is  blamed  for  failure  to  do  the  impossible. 

"Yes,  I  endorse  in  a  general  way,  Mr.  D.  W.  Young's 
theoiy  or  statement  lelative  to  the  craving  that  a  laying 
hen  has  for  albuminous  food;  also  that  after  the  brood- 
ing fever  comes  on  there  is  a  material  change  in  her  ap- 
petite, to  the  effect  of  her  not  wanting  albuminous  food, 
which  helps  in  shutting  off  the  egg  supply  while  she  is 
incubating  a  clutch  of  eggs.  That,  no  doubt,  is  one  of  the 
reasons  why  the  broody  hen  after  she  gets  a  nest  full  of 
eggs,  can  readily  discontinue  laying  for  a  period  of  several 
weeks,  although  in  good  health  and  otherwise  in  condi- 
tion to  go  on  laying. 

"After  the  hen  has  laid  she  should  not  be  disturbed 
or  excited  in  any  way.  In  my  experiments  I  noticed  that 
after  laying  they  would  go  to  the  third  floor — up  under 
the  glass  roof  where  it  was  warm  and  where  they  would 
not  be  bothered  in  any  way.  On  large  plants  the  earnest 
poultryman  probably  cannot  give  maximum  seclusion  to 
the  layers,  but  he  should  do  all  he  can  in  this  direction. 
The  feminine  instinct  and  wild  nature  are  still  inherent  in 
our  domestic  fowl  to  a  considerable  extent  and  we  must 
respect  these  facts  if  we  are  to  get  best  results. 

"Yes,  I  believe  in  the  intelligence  of  fowls;  also  in 
what  you  describe  as  'good  dispositions.'  Intelligence  is 
made  evident  by  their  adaptability.  Tameness  must  be 
cultivated.  This  can  be  done  with  remarkable  results. 
Please  say  on  my  authority  that  tame  fowl  and  the  glut- 
tons are  the  best  layers.  Horsemen  and  dog  fanciers, 
time  immemorial,  have  been  very  attentive  to  intelligence 
possessed  by  horses  and  dogs,  and  poultry  breeders 
SHOULD  BE.  If  I  were  making  a  living  breeding  poul- 
try, or  if  it  were  my  desire  to  make  money  in  that  way, 
I  would  not  breed  from  scary  fowl,  from  the  excitable 
kind,  from  those  not  responsive  to  kind  treatment.  I  would 
pay  attention  in  my  selections  to  those  that  can  be  tamed 
with  comparative  ease.  This  would  show  intelligence  or 
adaptability,  which  is  needed  for  best  results  in  high 
egg  production,  meaning  eggs  of  the  right  kind  and  pro- 
duced at  the  right  time  for  our  purposes." 

reprinted    from    the 


ADDITIONAL  DETAILS  FROM  DR.  WALDORF 

In    This     Communication    Dr.     Waldorf    Gives    Special, 

Valuable  Information  Regarding  the  Way  in  Which 

He  Developed  His  Method  of  Using  Artificial 

Light  and  Heat  in  His  Poultry  House 

On  the  subject  of  maximum  egg  production  by  the 
aid  of  artificial  light  I  desire  to  enlarge  somewhat  upon 
my  paper  as  it  appeared  in  the  R.  P.  J.  of  February,  1915 
(see  page  19,  this  book),  but  more  particularly  to  be 
explicit  as  to  measurements,  for  the  benefit  of  anyone 
wishing  to  conform  to  my  plan.  Bear  in  mind  that  the 
form  of  coop  adopted  was  an  evolution,  so  to  speak, 
begun  in  1889,  using  kerosene  oil  lamps,  in  a  barn  ad- 
joining the  building  (occupied  today  by  the  distributing 
office  of  the  Magic  Egg  Tester  Works),  and  culminating 
in  the  construction,  after  four  years  of  experimenting,  of 
my  ideal  coop  directly  across  the  street  in  the  rear  of  56 
York  St.  By  the  way,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that 
for  the  past  26  years  continuous  experiments  with  eggs 
for  incubation,  with  the  aid  of  the  Magic  Egg  Tester, 
have  been  conducted  on  these  premises. 

Now  to  return  to  style  and  size  of  coop  I  believe 
best  adapted  to  use  in  forced  egg  production.  My  arti- 
cle just  referred  to  states  the  ground  floor  as  12x16  ft. 
This  size  is  the  coop  proper  and  exclusive  of  two  aisles 
three  feet  wide  bisecting  in  the  center.  This  arrange- 
ment gives  four  apartments  each  8x6  ft.  Each  apart- 
ment has  an  entrance  door  (matched  lumber)  at  center 
aisles,  2^/2  feet  wide  extending  from  one  foot  above  ground 
to  within  four  inches  of  first  ceiling.  This  gives  a  door 
S  ft.  S  in.  long.  Four  partitions  of  matched  boards,  each 
7  ft.  X  2  ft.,  are  placed  upright  lYz  ft.  from  intersection 
of  aisles  for  support  to  ends  of  roosts  and  ends  of  drop- 
pings boards,  the  latter  being  two  feet  wide,  slanting  back- 
wards. For  the  purpose  of  ventilation  a  band  of  wire 
screen  four  inches  wide  encircled  the  top  of  each  apart- 
ment. The  floor  of  the  second  apartment  forms  the  ceil- 
ing   of   the    nests    which    are    one    foot    square,    extending 


from  the  upright  partition  supporting  roosts  to  outside 
wall  of  coop.  The  wire  screen  affords  easy  inspection  of 
nests  without  opening  board  door. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  floor  surface  allowed  for 
each  section  of  fowls  is  48  square  feet  multiplied  by  three 
— equal  to  one  pen  for  each  group  twelve  feet  square, 
and  far  better  on  account  of  the  privacy  allowed  and  the 
privilege  of  additional  warmth  and  comfort  not  desirable 
for  the  ground  floor  where  it  would  tend  to  induce  colds 
and  facilitate  the  bleeding  of  lice,  difficulties  not  experi- 
enced in  the  "upstairs"  system  of  cooping.  Consequent- 
ly health,  perfect  digestion,  quick  assimilation  and  max- 
imum egg  formation  is  the  result  of  using  the  three- 
floor  arrangement. 

Perhaps  it  might  be  a  good  idea  to  dwell  more  fully 
on  the  heating  system  than  was  done  in  my  former 
article.  Efficiency  and  economy  were  essential  factors.  A 
low  laundry  stove  fitted  with  a  water  coil  and  gas  burners 
was  used,  set  in  the  west  end  of  the  excavation,  which 
was  15  feet  long  and  3  feet  wide,  covered  with  flooring 
for  ten  feet,  with  four  steps  to  the  bottom  of  the  furnace 
pit.  Fifty  feet  of  one-inch  pipe  for  each  section,  placed 
above  the  windows  on  ground  floor,  comprised  the  radia- 
tion necessary  for  entire  coop.  A  one-half-inch  stand- 
pipe  extending  to  highest  point  with  expansion  tank  sup- 
plied the  necessary  pressure  for  circulation.  On  the 
subject  of  heating  I  must  not  omit  to  say  that  the  outside 
was  banked  with  corn  stalks  up  to  the  lower  ledge  of  the 
windows  and  this  in  turn  was  covered  with  one  width 
of  tar  paper  to  shed  the  snow  or  rain.  This  provision 
forestalled  sudden  changes  in  temperature  within  the  coop. 

Attention  to  coop  arrangement,  heating  and  lights, 
while  absolutely  essential,  must  be  understood  to  be  sim- 
ply the  FOUNDATION  for  the  business.  For  example,  it 
interrupts  the  egg  machines  to  turn  on  the  lights  at 
unexpected  moments.  Actual  experiments  proved  this. 
Owing  to  the  exactness  of  time  required  I  found  it  nec- 
essary to  invent  a  time-trip  mechanism  called  by  me 
"Waldorf  Chronometric  Adjuster."  Application  for  United 
States  patent  for  this  clock  mechanism,  already  in  use, 
was  filed  June  1,  1892,  and  U.  S.  Letters  Patent  No. 
489350  granted  January  3,  1893.  The  absolute  regularity 
of  this  device  made  the  daily  illumination  something  that 
the  hens  always  met  with   eager   satisfaction. 

Before  my  experiments  of  forced  egg  production  by 
the  use  of  artificial  lighting  were  concluded  in  1893  and 
1894  many  well-known  and  prominent  Buffalonians  be- 
came enthusiastic  of  the  method.  (The  names  of  these 
persons  will  be  found  in  the  Historical  Chapter,  page 
4.— Editor.) 

While  the  system  at  that  time  proved  a  success  com- 
mercially, the  greatest  benefit,  as  I  felt,  was  the  relief 
from  unhatchable  eggs  by  eliminating  their  slow  forma- 
tion, which  unquestionably  is  detrimental  to  normal  germ 
life  within  the  egg  before  laying  and  during  incubation. 
This  much  accomplished,  all  that  remained  to  be  done 
in  order  to  select  the  hatchable  egg  was  to  learn  the  re- 
quired   density,   as   shown   my  specific   gravity   test. 

This  subject  suggests  a  matter  uppermost  in  my  mind 
and  should  be  to  every  poaltry  raiser  in  the  world  —  I 
refer  to  the  specific  gravity  of  eggs  in  the  unbroken 
shell,  readily  determined  by  the  use  of  the  Magic  Egg 
Tester.  It  is  the  key  to  the  whole  situation  of  poultry 
propagation.  The  great  value  of  specific  gravity  lies  in 
its  ability  to  show  the  first  atomic  chemical  change  not 
discernible  either  to  the  eye  or  on  the  scales.  Eggs  may 
show  marked  change  in  specific  gravity  with  no  percept- 
ible change  by  the  finest  scale.  Gases  must  be  present 
to  produce  this,  and  these  must  be  detrimental  to  the  egg 
substance.  For  proof  of  this,  incubate  for  72  hours  two 
classes  of  eggs,  one  of  high  and  the  other  of  low  specific 
gravity.  Then  in  a  room  temperature  of  70  degrees  care- 
fully remove  the  shell  at  the  base  of  each  egg.  The 
vessels  and  arterial  pulsation  will  be  strong  and  vigorous 
in  the  eggs  of  high  test  but  will  be  weak,  frail  and  dis- 
connected in  eggs  of  lower  test,  the  pulsations  ceasing 
after  a  few  moments  in  the  latter,  but  surviving  for  an 
hour  and  longer  in  eggs  of  high  specific  gravity  test. 
What  evidence  of  the  importance  of  specifiic  gravity  to 
the  poultryman  could  be  more  convincing  than  this  com- 
parison? 


Successful  Use  of  "Lights"  on  Commercial  Poultry  Plant 


CAPABLE  AND  INSTRUCTIVE  REPORT  ON  USE  OF  LIGHTS  ON  NEW  YORK 
STATE  EGG  FARM— GAVE  LARGER  CASH  RETURNS  AND  DID  NOT  INJURE 
HATCHABILITY— LIGHTS  USED  ON  THIS  PLANT  DURING  PERIOD  OF  FIVE 
YEARS— COST  OF   ELECTRIC   LIGHT   PER   HEN    PER    YEAR,    THREE    CENTS 

By  R.  T.  ARGOOD,  Morhsville,  N.  Y.,  Poultry  Huthandman,  New  York  State  School  of  Agriculture 


EXTRACT  from  letter  which  accompanied  the  fol- 
lowing article:  "I  am  at  present  poultry  hus- 
bandman in  the  Agricultural  School  at  Morrisville 
and  now  and  then  find  time  to  write  up  some  of  my  ex- 
periences as  a  poultryman.  I  personally  carried  on  the 
work  of  the  enclosed  experiment,  in  connection  with  my 
other  duties.  Numerous  inquiries  for  data  on  the  use  of 
lights  in  this  experiment  prompted  me  to  prepare  the  ar- 
ticle herewith."  Article  kindly  sent  us  by  M'r.  Argood, 
was  as  follows: 

The  use  of  electric  lights  to  increase  winter  egg  pro- 
duction has  been  successful  for  the 
last  four  years  on  a  large  commer- 
cial egg  plant  near  Oneonta,  New 
York.  The  proprietor,  a  wealthy 
man,  started  to  keep  poultry  as  a 
hobby.  Five  years  ago  he  came 
across  an  article  in  a  poultry  maga- 
zine on  the  use  of  "lights"  to  force 
the  production  of  winter  eggs.  On 
thinking  the  matter  over,  he  de- 
cided to  try  the  scheme  out,  think- 
ing perhaps  there  might  be  some- 
thing in  the  idea  after  all. 

An  experiment  was  started  by 
trying  out  "lights"  on  a  pen  of 
scrub  hens.  A  vacant  building  was 
fitted  up  for  suitable  quarters  and 
electric  lights  installed.  This  was 
during  the  first  of  Decemiber.  In 
two  weeks'  time  the  hens  respond- 
ed with  an  increased  egg  yield  and 
kept  at  the  good  work  through  the 
winter.  Inspired  by  this  success, 
preparations  were  made  to  equip 
all  the  laying  houses  with  "lights." 

Since  this  trial  in  1914,  "lights" 
have  been  in  use  each  winter  in 
the  laying  pens.  The  size  of  the 
plant  has  also  been  increased  from 
1000  to  3000-hen  capacity  and  is 
now  managed  on  a  commercial 
scale. 

The  plan  in  equipping  a  lay- 
ing house  with  "lights"  is  to  use 
a  60-watt  bulb  for  a  pen  twenty 
feet  square,  holding  100  hens.  The 
light  is  placed  a  little  to  the  front 
of  the  pen  so  that  the  floor  sipace 
under  the  roosting  platform  re- 
ceives more  illumination  than  it 
would  when  the  light  is  put  in  the 
middle  of  the  pen. 

The  schedule  formerly  follow- 
ed was  to  turn  the  lights  on  in  the 
morning  at  5:30,  discontinuing 
their  use  at  daylight.  The  lights 
were  again  turned  on  at  dusk  and 

continued  until  8:00  p.  m.  By  this  plan  it  was  necessary 
to  dim  the  lights  so  the  hens  would  find  their  way  to 
roost.  From  experience  it  was  later  found  that  a  twelve- 
hour  day  was  sufficient  and  less  electricity  used,  cutting 
down  the  bill  for  current  one-third.  During  the  last  year 
the  electric  light  bill  on  2500  layers  was  $82.00,  or  a  lit- 
tle over  THREE  CENTS  PER  BIRD  A  SEASON. 

Under  the  present  plan,  the  lights  are  turned  on  by 
means  of  an  alarm  clock  at  4:30  in  the  morning.  In  the 
evening  the  hens  are  allowed  to  go  to  roost  naturally.  By 
this  plan  the  hens  have  a  twelve-hour  day  and  a  twelve- 
hour  night.  No  dimmer  is  necessary  and  the  scheme  fits 
in  better  with  the  regular  routine. 


The  first  feed  is  given  at  5  in  the  morning,  which  con- 
sists of  a  grain  ration  well  scattered  to  induce  exercise. 
Mluch  care  has  to  be  taken  in  the  feeding  methods  since 
the  hens  under  the  "light"  system  have  a  longer  day  than 
is  usual  at  this  time  of  the  year  and  it  requires  more  skill 
on  the  part  of  the  feeder  to  keep  the  birds  "on  their  feed" 
throughout  the  day.  To  be  on  the  safe  side  it  is  well  to 
feed  a  scant  ration  of  grain  in  the  morning  and  give  all 
they  will  clean  up  at  night. 

The  mash  hoppers  are  left  open  at  all  times,  unless 
the  hens  start  wasting  or  picking  over  the  mixture.  Green 
feed  in  some  form  or  other  is  plentifully  supplied  during 
the  forenoon.  It  is  absolutely  essential  that  plenty  of 
fresh  water  be  available. 


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AVERAGE  PRODUCTION  OF  HENS  OF  DIFFERENT  BREEDS  IN  EGG  LAYING  CONTESTS 
To  show  readers  of  this  hook  the  comparative  production  of  the  different  hreeds,  the 
ahove  graph  was  prepared,  showing  the  monthly  egg-yield  (in  percentages)  of  Leghorns, 
Rhode  Island  Reds,  Wyandottes  and  Plymouth  Rocks,  employing  for  this  purpose  the  actual 
trap-nest  records  made  at  the  Vineland,  Storrs,  Missouri,  and)  North  American  contest.  Not  a 
very  great  difference,  is  there?  The  Leghorns  fell  behind  during  the  winter  months,  but  laid 
well  from  early  April  until  mid-September.  In  none  of  these  contests  were  any  of  the  birds 
"under  lights".  Unfortunately,  "lights"  to  date  have  not  been  commonly  used  on  the 
Plymouth  Rocks,  Wyandottes  or  Rhode  Island  Reds.  No  doubt  they  will  respond  propor- 
tionately well  to  the  helpful  effects  of  a  longer  workday  during  which  to  eat,  digest,  assim- 
ilate  and  function. — Courtesy   of  the  New  Jersey  Experiment    Station. 


When  it  is  dark  and  dreary  a  little  grain  is  sometimes 
scattered  about  the  pen,  just  enough  being  fed  to  "coax" 
the  hens  to  exercise  during  the  middle  of  the  day.  It  is 
the  constant  endeavor  of  the  poultryman  to  do  all  he  can 
to  keep  the  hens  'busy. 

Last  winter  two  pens  of  Leghorns  were  selected  to 
try  out  an  experiment  on  the  effect  of  "lights"  on  the 
hatchability  of  eggs.  The  hens  selected  were  yearlings, 
one  hundred  birds  in  each  pen.  They  were  given  sim- 
ilar treatment,  except  for  the  use  of  "lights"  in  one  pen. 
The  experiment  was  started  in  December  and  careful  rec- 
ords kept. 


68 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO  INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


"Lights"  Also  Helped  Hatchability 

In  the  spring,  eggs  were  set  from  both  pens  at  dif- 
ferent times  during  the  incubating  season.  It  was  ex- 
pected that  the  use  of  "lights"  would  result  in  a  low 
hatchability  record  from  the  eggs  produced  in  the  lighted 
pen.  The  results,  however,  do  not  seem  to  bear  out  that 
point  as  can  be  seen  from  the  data  which  follow: 
How  Lights  Affect  HatchabUlty 


Per  cent 

;  Fertile  Esss 

Per  cent  Hatched  of 

Date  Set 

7th  Day 

Total 

Eggs 

Set 

Dec. 

LIGHTS 

NO 

LIGHTS 

LIGHTS 

NO 

LIGHTS 

Jan. 

Mar.     6 

82.3 

80.5 

25.5 

25.2 

Feb. 

Mar.  29 

88.0 

92.0 

60.0 

61.0 

Mar. 

Apr.      1 

86.2 

90.8 

61.3 

61.1 

^^a^. 

Apr.  13 

92.3 

91.1 

70.0 

64.8 

Apr.   17 

90.5 

91.0 

47.6 

47.0 

June 

Apr.  25 
Apr.  29 

92.4 
93.8 

97.5 
97.9 

56.4 
63.2 

61.5 
53.0 

Av.    per    cent      89.3  91.4  53.4  53.3 

From  the  above  figures  it  will  be  seen  that  no  defi- 
nite bad  effect  on  the  hatchability  of  eggs  could  be 
laid  to  the  use  of  "lights."  The  general  opinion  among 
poultry  authorities  to  date,  however,  seems  to  be  rather 
against  the  use  of  forcing  methods  in  producing  hatch- 
ing eggs  from  breeders. 

The  egg  record  from  the  two  experiment  pens  follows, 
and  it  can  be  seen  that  the  hens  in  the  lighted  pen  brought 
in  the  larger  receipts,  although  the  pen  without  lights 
laid  the  larger  number  of  eggs,  the  difference  in  profit 
being  due  to  the  season  of  the  year  in  which  the  eggs 
were  produced. 

Past  records  from  this  same  farm  show  that  in  years 
when  "lights"  were  used  a  lower  egg  record  per  hen 
was  obtained  than  in  years  before  the  use  of  "lights" 
was  adopted. 


It  has  also  been  found  that  under  "lights"  there  is 
less  trouble  than  usual  with  broody  hens,  since  they  go 
through  a  partial  molt  in  the  spring  months.  Our  opin- 
ion is  that  the  "lights"  will  be  the  means  of  a  revolution 
in  change  of  methods  in  egg  production. 

Experiment  on  Layers;  "Lights"  vs.  "No  Lights" 
PEN  1—100  HENS  WITHOUT  LIGHTS 
Price  Per  cent 

per  Doz.  Production  Heceipta 


Eggs 


.81 


June 


154 

.71 

4.9 

9.10 

430 

.57 

15.35 

20.43 

838 

.43 

27.03 

29.90 

1401 

.43 

46.66 

50.16 

1605 

.38 

51.77 

50.72 

792 

.43 

26.4 

28.35 

5234 

$189.47 

4  per  cent. 

PEN  2—100  HENS  WITH  LIGHTS 

Price 

Per  cent 

Eggs 

per  Doz. 

Production 

Beceipi 

1401 

.69 

45.19 

80.56 

780 

.71 

25.16 

46.10 

548 

.f 

19.57 

26.03 

483 

.43 

15.58 

17.29 

451 

.43 

15.03 

16.15 

771 

.38 

24.87 

24.36 

704 

.43 

23.33 

25.20 

5138  $235.69 

Mortality  5  per  cent.  Cost  of  electric  current  for  season,  $5.40. 
Prom  this  experiment  it  can  be  seen  that  the  hens 
without  "lights"  laid  96  more  eggs  than  the  hens  with 
"lights,"  but  that  the  lighted  pen  made  the  larger  returns. 
The  receipts  of  the  lighted  pen  with  the  cost  of  the  elec- 
tric current  taken  out,  exceeded  their  competitors  by 
$40.82. 


Private  Users  of  "Lights"  in  Pacific  Northwest 

TWO  OF  THEM,  D.  P.  RAGER  OF  SUMMER,  WASH.,  AND  MRS.  T.  H.  RIDLEY  OF 
PUYALLUP,  WASH.,  GIVE  SPECIAL  AND  DIRECT  CREDIT  TO  MR.  AND  MRS. 
SHOUP  FOR  THEIR  GOOD  SUCCESS  —  TELL  HOW  THEY  USE  "LIGHTS,"  ALSO 
WHAT  THEY  FEED,  AND  GIVE  THE  HIGH  EGG  PRODUCTION  PERCENTAGE  OB- 
TAINED—EXCELLENT REPORT  FROM  A.  E.  HAMMOND  OF  KIRKLAND,  WASH.,  WHO 
■  USED  THE   SHOUP  TYPE   OPEN-FRONT   POULTRY   HOUSE  WITH   STORM   CURTAIN 


HEREWITH  are  three  sample  letters  from  the  Pa- 
cific Northwest,  as  sent  to  the  Reliable  Poultry 
Journal  by  private  users  of  artificial  light  in 
that  section.  Other  similar  letters  were  received,  some 
of  them  of  more  recent  date,  but  the  three  here  given 
are  representative  of  the  uniformly  good  results  that  Pa- 
cific Coast  poultrymen  and  poultrywomen  have  obtained 
by  the  use  of  "lights"  in  a  climate  that  is  quite  mild,  but 
in  a  latitude  where  the  winter  nights  are  long. 

Letter  From  D.  P.  Rager,  Summer,  Wash. 

November   18,   1918. 
Editor  Reliable   Poultry  Journal; 

Received  your  letter  of  Oct.  2Sth  and  expected  to  an- 
swer sooner,  but  have  been  quite  busy.  You  ask  for  my 
experience  in  using  lights  on  my  chickens.  Two  years 
ago  I  decided  to  go  into  the  poultry  business.  It  was  late 
in  the  season  and  I  had  to  take  just  what  baby  chicks  I 
could  get.  Owing  to  poor  stock,  inexperience  and  a  back- 
ward season,  I  only  raised  two  hundred  and  ninety-five 
laying  hens  from  1,000  chicks. 

Professor  and  Mrs.  Shoup,  poultry  experts  of  the 
Western  Washington  Exiperiment  Station,  strongly  ad- 
vised lights — electric  lights  if  possible,  but  at  any  rate 
lights  oi  some  sort.  Could  not  get  the  electric  light 
company  to  come  out  to  my  place,  so  had  to  put  in  a 
private  plant — 30  volt.  I  placed  eight  forty-watt  lights 
in  my  ninety-foot  pullet  house,  dropping  them  to  within 
two  feet  of  the  floor.  Began  working  the  pullets  from 
6  a.  m.  to  8  p.  m.  On  Novemiber  6,  I  decided  to  reduce 
the  working  hours  on  account  of  too  high  percentage  of 
eggs.  In  seven  days  they  dropped  from  two  hundred 
eggs  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  eegs  daily  and  it  took  me 
three  weeks  to  bring  them  back  to  normal. 

This  year  my  pullets  again  began  laying  too  great  a 


per  cent,  so  am  only  working  them  from  6  a.  m.  to  6:30 
p.  m.  The  old  hens  are  working  fourteen  hours  daily 
and  coming  through  the  molt  rapidly.  I  feel  sure  that 
the  use  of  lights  has  shortened  the  molting  time.  I  have 
a  night  light  on  the  lower  end  of  the  building  as  a  pro- 
tection against  thieves  and  can  also  switch  on  all  the 
lights  from  bedroom,  in  case  there  is  any  commotion  dur- 
ing the  night. 

You  asked  for  any  pictures  I  might  have  showing  the 
lights.  Cannot  have  much  luck  taking  the  pictures  from 
the  inside,  but  am  inclosing  one  taken  from  the  outside 
which  shows  the  position  of  the  lights,  also  one  show- 
ing part  of  the  light  plant.  The  wiring  is  my  own  work 
and  not  a  very  artistic  job,  but  it  answers  the  purpose. 

Prof,  and  Mrs.  Shoup  (latter  also  a  decided  "live 
wire")  are  doing  an  immense  amount  of  good  here  in  the 
Valley  and  I  think  we  all  owe  them  a  vote  of  thanks. 

Wishing  you  success  in  your  campaign  for  "more  light 
in  the  poultry  house,"  I  am 

Yours  truly, 

(Signed)       D.  P.  RAGER. 

Letter  of  Mrs.  T.  H.  Ridley,  Puyallup,  Wash. 

Puyallup,   Wash.,  Jan.   12,   1919. 
Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal: 

I  owe  you  an  apology  for  failure  to  answer  promptly 
your  letter  in  regard  to  artificial  lighting  for  poultry.  I 
must  plead  as  my  excuse  that  I  have  been  so  busy  caring 
for  my  1050  birds  that  I  have  had  no  time'to  write  let- 
ters, even  to  my  mother.  I  have  done  alone  all  the  work 
connected  with  our  1050  birds,  except  for  the  help  of  my 
husband  before  8  a.  m  and  after  6  p.  m.,  and  of  a  man  for  a 
few  hours  once  or  twice  a  month  to  remove  the  litter  and 
do  the  heavy  work  that  I  could  not  manage.  Besides  I 
have  done  my  own  housework. 

We  started  raising  S.  C.  White  Leghorns  February 
14,  1916,  and  have  always  used  lights,  so  we  can  give  you 


PRIVATE  USERS  OF  "LIGHTS"  IN  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST 


69 


no  comparative  data,  but  we  are  convinced  that  the  dif- 
ference between  lights  and  no  lights  IS  THE  DIFFER- 
ENCE BETWEEN  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE.      • 

The  first  year  we  used  gasoline  lanterns  on  360  Feb- 
ruary and  March-hatched  pullets,  lighting  them  from  Oc- 
tober 1st  to  March  1st.  That  fall  wt  had  a  good  many 
molt,  due  to  our  inexperience  in  feeding.  Our  highest 
production  for  the  year  was  in  December,  1916 — 67.7%, 
for  the  month.  The  percentages  of  production  were  as 
follows:  Nov.,  54.27o;  Dec,  67.7%;  Jan.,  1917,  64.2%; 
Feb.,  59A%. 

In  April  a  part  of  them  went  through  a  spring  molt, 
lasting  a  short  time,  coming  into  a  64%  production  in 
June  and  July. 

The  second  year  we  used  a  hollow  wire  lighting  sys- 
tem and  found  it  very  unsatisfactory,  but  by  a  deal  of 
fussing  we  managed  to  keep  lights  going  most  of  the 
time  and  our  production  for  the  winter  months  of  1917- 
1918  was  as  follows:  Oct.,  44%;  Nov.,  68j4%;  Dec,  65%; 
Jan.,  64%;  Feb.,  59?^%;  a  light  molt  in  April  and  a  58% 
production  in  June  and  July.  This  was  a  flock  of  pullets 
hatched  March  23rd. 

This  year  we  have  650  pullets  hatched  as  follows: 
320  Feb.  22nd;  193  March  14th;  137  April  18th.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1918,  we  mstalled  a  Lally  Light  electric  system 
and  Oct.  1st  we  'turned  on  the  lights  at  6:00  a.  m.,  turn- 
ing them  off  at  daylight,  on  again  at  dusk  and  off  at 
7:30  p.  m.  This  plan  has  been  followed  faithfully  with 
practically  no  deviation  ever  since.  We  had  no  fall  molt 
to  speak  of,  only  one  bird  molting  enough  to  lose  tail 
and  body  feathers  while  six  lost  only  the  neck  feathers. 

The  production  for  this  winter's  months  was  as  fol- 
lows: Oct.,  52%;  Nov.,  64%;  Dec,  67%;  Jan.  (to  pres- 
ent writing),  65%. 

Our  birds  are  looking  fine  and  have  been  laying  since 
July  4th.  They  are  hatched  from  our  own  trap-nested 
stock.  Besides  650  pullets .  we  have  400  breeders.  We 
wished  to  make  an  early  hatch,  so  Dec.  10th,  as  we  were 
getting  only  about  fifteen  eggs  per  day  from  the  breed- 
ers and  we  wanted  2500  in  the  machines  Jan.  21st,  we 
turned  on  the  lights  for  an  hour  in  the  morning  and  un- 
til 6:30  in  the  evening.  The  following  figures  will  show 
you  the  results: 


Dec.  10,  15  eggs 
Dec.  11,  8  eggs 
Dec.  12,  15  eggs 
Dec.  13,  13  eggs 
Dec.  14,  12  eggs 
Deo.  15,  15  eggs 
Dec.  16,  17  eggs 
Dec.  17,  17  eggs 
Dec.  18,  15  eggs 
Dec.  19,  30  eggs 
Dec.  20,  35  eggs 


Dec.  21,  29  eggs 
Dec.  22,  81  eggs 
Dec.  23,  127  eggs 
Dec.  24,  139  eggs 
Dec.  25,  143  eggs 
Dec.  26,  195  eggs 
Dec.  27,  215  eggs 
Dec.  28,  208  eggs 
Dec.  29,  217  eggs 
Dec.  30,  221  eggs 
Dec.  31,  230  eggs 


When  they  reached  215  eggs  on  the  27th  of  December 
the  lights  were  discontinued  and  have  not  been  used  since. 
Tonight   we   tested    forty-five    eggs    set    under   hens    and 


PEITATE   ELECTEIO   LIGHTING   PLANT   OF   D.   P.   BAGEE 


found  two  infertiles  and  two  doubtfuls,  which  we  con- 
sider excellent.  Every  one  knows  the  price  of  eggs  this 
winter  compared  with  last  summer,  but  regardless  of 
high  or  low  prices  the  person  who  can  produce  WINTER 
EGGS  has  the  advantage  over  the  one  who  gets  the 
largest  production   in   summer. 

I  want  to  state  here  that  we  have  handled  our  flocks 
after  the  methods  taught  at  the  Western  Washington  Ex- 
periment Station,  which,  in  our  opinion,  cannot  be  beaten. 
Yours  truly, 
(Signed)    MRS.  T.  H.  RIDLEY. 

Letter  of  E.  A.  Hammond,  Kirkland,  Wash. 

Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal:  May  18,  1919. 

Complying  with  your  open  request  in  a  recent  issue, 
for  items  on  lighting,  the  following  is  submitted: 

The  writer  is  numbered  among  those  who  believe  that 
even  the  best  stock  should  not  be  allowed  to  go  beyond 
a  60  per  cent  production  during  the  winter  months.  In 
this  instance,  it  was  the  aim  of  the  writer  to  hold,  as  near- 
ly as  possible,  to  a  70  per  cent  production  from  six  months 
of  age  to  June  first.  The  result  is  given  without  comment, 
other  than  to  say  that  statements  are  correct. 

Stock:  40O  pullets,  May  25th  hatch.  White  Leghorns 
bred  by  D.  Tancred,  Kent,  Washington. 

Housing:  Shoup  type  open  front  with  storm  cur- 
tain, 20  by  75  feet,  not  partitioned.  Capacity  of  house 
would  be  500. 

Lighting:  50- watt  nitrogen  lamps  every  20  feet.  Max- 
imum hours  of  lighting,  _  twelve.  Lighting  usually  both 
ends  of  day,  though  at  times  only  morning  lighting  was 
given.  Lights  were  automatically  turned  on  in  the  morn- 
ing, except  at  such  times  as  there  was  a  possibility  of 
water  or  the  feed  being  frozen.  Dimmers  were  used  at 
night  for  fifteen  minutes  to  send  the  birds  to  roost. 

Feeding:  Germinated  oats  placed  in  litter  at  night 
for  morning  feed,  except  when  danger  of  freezing.  At 
2  p.  m.,  grain.  At  6  p.  m.,  mash  wet  with  fresh  blood — 
occasionally  semisolid  buttermilk.  7  p.  m.,  green  feed. 
Dry  mash  accessible  at  all  times.  Feed  consumed  per 
100  birds  per  day,  not  including  green  feed,  shell,  grit,  etc., 
16  pounds  of  grain  and  8  pounds  of  mash. 

Up  to  March  first  nine  birds  had  died,  apparently 
from  liver  trouble  induced  by  overfeeding.  On  the  same 
date,  67  pullets  were  in  a  partial  molt.  Fifty-five,  in- 
cluding part  of  the  molters  and  those  that  had  stopped 
laying  from  other  causes,  were  culled.  None  have  since 
died,  nor  have  any  more  been  culled  out. 

The   production   follows,   being   given   to   the   nearest 
unit,  and  for  number  of  birds  on  hand  at  date  given: 
First  egg  Oct.  17th. 

Production  Nov.  25th  ^ 60  p*  cent 

Production  Dec.  25th  67  per  cen';. 

Production  Jan.   25th   73   per  cent. 

Production  Feb.   25th  56  per  cent. 

Production  Mar.  25th  55  per  cent. 

Production  Apr.   25th  70  per 

Production  May  25th  81  per 

Daily  production  seldom  varied  over  twelve  eggs  from 
70  per  cent. 

Trusting  the  above  may  be  of  some  use  to  you,  I  am 
Yours  truly, 
(Signed)     A.  E.  HAMMOND. 


Early  Use  of  "Lighting  System"  in  Michigan 


J.  G.  HALPIN,  PROFESSOR  OF  POULTRY  HUSBANDRY  AT  WISCONSIN  COLLEGE  OF  AGRI- 
CULTURE, WRITES  AN  INTERESTING  LETTER  TELLINGOF  HIS  EARLY  EXPERIENCES 
AND  OBSERVATION  OF  THE  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  ILLUMNIATION  TO  INCREAtB  WINTER 
EGG  PRODUCTION— USED  FIFTEEN  TO  TWENTY  YEARS  AGO,  AND  WITH  GOOD  RESULTS 


By  PROF.  J.  G.  HALPIN,  Head  of  Poultry  Department,  Univeriit,  of  fTU 


Madi.o«,  Wh. 


THE  following  letter,  written  to  editor  of  R.  P.  J., 
was  not  intended  for  publication,  but  recogniz- 
ing its  value  we  wrote  the  author  and  asked  his 
permission.  Our  object,  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  to  se- 
cure and  publish  all  the  interesting  and  helpful  data  we 
can,  on  this  important  and  truly  promising  subject — "prom- 
ising" in  the  sense  of  placing  a  profit-earning  foundation 
under  the  commercial  egg  plant  or  flock  in  many  sections 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada. — Editor. 

The  Letter  From  Prof.  Halpin 

Madison,    Wis.,    March    17,    1919. 
Editor   R.    P.   J.:— 

I  was  very  glad  indeed  to  get  your  letter  of  March 
13th.  Am  sorry  to  say  that  we  are  not  doing  anything 
special  in  the  way  of  artificial  illumination  here  at  the  ex- 
periment station.  I  believe  that  I  am  the  first  experiment 
station  worker  to  be  guilty  of  trying  this  out  on  the  hens. 
Back  in  1906,  over  in  Michigan,  we 
started  this  and  had  splendid  suc- 
cess with  the  artificial  light  as 
compared  with  those  birds  with  no 
light.  Our  long  house  in  Michigan 
was  especially  adapted  for  that 
sort  of  thing,  in  that  the  ipartitions 
between  all  pens  were  solid  and  we 
illuminated  every  other  pen  after 
having  carefully  selected  the  birds, 
so  that  one  pen  was  just  about  as 
good  as  the  other  at  the  start, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing. 

My    records    and    observations 
at  that  time  were  received  with  a 
great    deal    of   amusement    by    my 
Professor     of     Poultry    coworkers    who    seemed    to    agree 

Husbandry,    University    of        ,  . 

Wisconsin.     Was    one    of    with   the   daily   press   at  that  time 

the  "ack"of'th°e  use  of  'hat  it  was  a  joke.  I  remember 
artificial  light  to  increase  one  rather  prominent  agriculturalist 
egg  pro4uotion.  ,  ■       ,  ,  ,  r 

laughingly   told   me   a   farmer   was 

not  going  to  go  out  and  hang  a  lantern  in  the  chicken 
coop!  The  only  publicity  that  I  got  was  from  one  or 
two  daily  papers  that  thought  it  was  a  great  joke  and 
said  I  was  trying  to  work  the  hens  to  lay  two  and  three 
eggs  a  day.  I  believe  the  work  has  been  carried  on  in 
Michigan  at  least  part  of  the  time  since  I  left  there.  I 
have  never  been  able  to  find  the  original  data  which  I  se- 
cured 'there  in  Michigan.  When  the  practice  began  to 
become  more  popular,  I,  of  course,  was  more  anxious  to 
secure  the  records  that  I  left  there,  but  they  evidently 
had  been  destroyed. 

I  have  frequently  recommended  this  plan  to  our  com- 
mercial egg  farmers  and  some  of  them  are  trying  it  out 
and  have  been  trying  it  out  for  years  with  good  success, 
in  fact  they  would  not  return  to  no  lighting.  I  started 
this  illumination  proposition  entirely  with  the  idea  of  get- 
ting data  largely  from  an  extension  standpoint.  For  in- 
stance, at  that  time  in  Michigan  a  large  per  cent  of  our 
farmers  that  took  fairly  good  care  of  their  hens  were  feed- 
70 


ing  a  wet  mash  in  the  morning.  It  frequently  happened 
that  they  did  not  get  around  to  feed  the  wet  mash  until 
eight  or  nine  o'clock,  with  the  result  that  the  hens  sat 
on  the  roost  and  waited  for  the  attendant  to  come  with 
their  breakfast.  Other  observations  that  I  made  at  the 
same  time  showed  that  during  the  short  days  the  hens 
would  have  practically  empty  crops  by  midnight  and  the 
theory  suggested  itself  to  me  that  the  hen  was  simply  a 
mill  and  that  she  was  not  equipped  for  running  and  man- 
ufacturing eggs  on  the  basis  of  a  short  <lay,  also  that  if 
she  was  not  given  her  breakfast  before  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning  she  did  not  stand  a  very  good  show  of  produc- 
ing a  large  number  of  eggs  in  a  month  during  the  three 
months  of  shortest  days. 

On  that  account  I  rigged  up  an  alarm  clock  device 
that  would  turn  on  the  lights  a  little  after  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  we  put  feed  in  the  litter  in  the  pens 
at  night,  a  practice  I  have  followed  very  commonly  the 
most  of  my  life.  When  the  lights  would  come  on  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  the  hens  would  immediately  get 
down  from  the  roost  and  begin  working  for  their  break- 
fast. By  daylight  I  would  have  more  eggs  in  the  nests  in 
the  lighted  pens  than  I  would  get  all  day  from  the  non-illu- 
minated pens  and  although  I  have  not  the  records,  I  re- 
member distinctly  that  for  November,  December  and  Jan- 
uary, on  two  years'  test,  we  secured  more  than  ^s  many 
again  eggs  from  the  illuminated  pens,  and  ever  since  then 
I  have  been  preaching  a  system  of  feeding  which  would 
give  the  hen  just  as  long  a  feeding  day  as  possible  under 
general  farm  conditions. 

To  some  of  our  specialized  poultry  farms  I  have  rec- 
ommended artificial  illumination.  We,  of  course,  do  not 
have  many  farms  in  Wisconsin  which  take  very  much  in- 
terest in  that  sort  of  thing.  At  the  time,  I  supposed  that 
I  had  run  onto  a  brand  new  idea  and  was  a  little  bit  dis- 
gusted at  the  lack  of  enthusiasm  shown  by  some  of  my 
coworkers  and  others,  as  hinted  above.  A  little  later, 
however,  I  found  that  my  idea  was  about  as  old  as  the 
hills — apparently  another  proof  of  the  fact  that  there  is 
nothing  new  under  the  sun. 

I  was  up  in  northern  Michigan  and  there  found  a  man 
that  had  been  using  illumination  in  his  poultry  house  for 
years.  He  discovered  it  accidentally.  He  had  a  poultry 
house  with  three  or  four  pens  next  to  his  barn  in  which 
he  kept  his  horses.  His  men  came  to  the  barn  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  fed  the  horses  and  cared  for  them. 
He  noticed  that  the  hens  in  the  first  pen  laid  more  eggs 
than  the  hens  in  the  other  pens;  that  as  soon  as  the  lights 
were  on,  the  hens  in  the  first  pen  would  get  down  and  go 
to  digging  in  the  straw  for  something  to  eat.  This  made 
him  think  that  it  would  be  a  practical  thing  to  wire  his 
poultry  house  so  that  when  the  men  came  in  to  take 
care  of  the  horses  in  the  morning  they  could  turn  on  the 
lights  in  all  of  the  pens  and  poultry  houses  at  the  same 
time.  The  name  of  this  man  has  escaped  me,  but  I  re- 
member that  he  had  been  (practicing  that  for  severaal 
years  when  I  talked  with  him  in  the  spring  of  1907  or 
1908. 

The  more  modern  development  of  illumination  seems 
to  be  to  furnish  light  at  both  ends  of  the  day.  I  do  not 
know  whether  there  is  any  special  advantage  in  light 
both  morning  and  evening  or  whether  the  same  thing 
could  be  accomplished  by  illuminating  a  given  number  of 
hours  all  at  one  time. 

Yours   very   truly, 

J.    G.   HALPIN, 
Professor  of  Poultry  Husbandry. 


Results  of  the  Use  of  "Lighting  System"  in  New  Jersey 

REPORTS  FROM  FOURTEEN  FLOCKS  NUMBERING  NEARLY  4,000  BIRDS,  COVERING 
SIX  MONTHS,  FROM  SEPT.  1,  1918,  TO  MARCH  1,  1919,  AND  EMBRACING  BACK- 
YARD FLOCKS,  GENERAL  FARM  FLOCKS,  AND  COMMERCIAL  EGG  PLANTS— RESULTS 
WERE  A  DOUBLING  OF  THE  EGG  PRODUCTION,  AND  FOUR  TIMES  GREATER  RETURNS 
OVER  COST  OF  FEED  AND  LIGHTS— SEASON  FOR  LIGHTING  AND  HOW  TO  USE  THE 
LIGHT-':— WHAT  TO  FEED— HOW  MUCH  AND  WHEN  TO   FEED  FOR  BEST  RESULTS 

Rcfort  by  EDITOR 


PREVIOUS  to  our  recent  visit  to  New  Jersey  we  had 
written  'Harry  R.  Lewis,  Professor  of  Poultry  Hus- 
bandry, of  the  New  Jersey  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, asking  him  what  had  been  done  in  New  Jersey  in  the 
way  of  testing  the  use  of  artificial  illumination  during  the 
short-day  time  of  the  year  (fall  and  winter)  to  .increase 
egg  production  during  what  is  known  as  "the  period  of 
scarcity  and  high  prices."  Prof.  Lewis  replied  that  con- 
siderable in  this  line  had  been  done  in  Ocean  County,  in- 
cluding the  Toms  River  and  Lakewood  poultry  districts, 
and  'with  very  good  results";  that  Victor  G.  Aubry,  ex- 
tension specialist  of  the  Poultry  Department  of  the  New 
Jersey  State  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  was  in 
charge  of  this  branch 
of  state  poultry  work 
and  would  gladly 
furnish  data  and  rec- 
ommendations r  e- 
garding  same  for 
publication  in  these 
pages. 

On  visiting  the 
Toms  River  and 
Lakewood  section 
(Ocean  County)  we 
found  several  plants 
using  lights,  includ- 
ing the  Queensbury 
Farm,  E.  E.  Levy, 
proprietor;  Chas.  W. 
Warner,  C.  S. 
Greene,  Richard 
Heinie  and  others. 
These  men,  without 
exception,  reported 
satisfactory  results. 
In  the  Vineland  dis- 
trict only  one  plant 
among  the  eight  we 
visited  had  tested 
artificial  lighting. 
Vineland  to  date  has 
adopt  the  lighting  system,  but  sev- 
of  good-sized  commercial  egg  plants 
told    us    that    they    intend    to     install 


HAERT  R.  LEWIS,  NEW  BEUNSWICK, 
NEW  JERSEY 
Professor  of  Poultry  Husbandrr,  New 
Jersey  College  of  Agriculture  and  Experi- 
ment Station.  Is  one  of  the  up-to-date 
and  progressive  students  of  poultry  cul- 
ture, all  branches,  and  founder  of  the 
Vineland  International  Egg  Laying  and 
Breeding  Contest,  Vineland,  N.  J.,  one  of 
the  big  and  worth-while  successes  in 
poultry  science  and  development  to  date. 
Also  author  of  several  poultry  books  of 
importance  and  value. 


been     slow     to 
eral    proprietors 
in     that    district 

them  next  fall.  We  had  several  talks  with  Prof.  Lewis 
about  the  new  method,  during  which  he  expressed  a  very 
friendly  attitude  toward  "the  use  of  artificial  illumination 
to  stimulate  egg  production"  and  at  our  request  he  fur- 
nished us  the  following  statement  for  publication  herewith: 

Attitude  of  the  Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry  of  the 
New  Jersey  State  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  To- 
ward Artificial  Illumination  to  Stimulate 
Production 

"The  Poultry  Department  of  the  New  Jersey  Station 
has,  for  the  last  two  years,  appreciated  in  a  general  way 


the  wonderful  results  which  are  sure  to  come  from  an  In- 
telligent use  and  application  of  the  principles  of  artificial 
illumination  to  stimulate  egg  .production.  We  have  car- 
ried on  some  small  flock  preliminary  lighting  tests.  We 
have  avoided  the  inauguration  of  any  intensive  research 
project  on  this  subject  until  we  can  get  a  proper  idea  of 
just  what  the  vital  problems  are;  just  where  the  use  of 
lights  might  be  harmful  and  in  just  what  fields  and  under 
Avhat  conditions  the  use  of  lights  might  be  questioned. 

"We  have,  in  a  general  way,  encouraged  the  use  of 
lights  among  commercial  poultrymen  in  the  state,  and 
have  for  the  last  year  some  wonderful  records  show- 
ing the  comparison  of  production  on  lighted  and 
unlighted  flocks  throughout  the  state.  Mr.  Aubry, 
our  extension  specialist,  has  had  the  details  of  this 
work  in  hand,  and  I  would  suggest  that  you  confer  with 
him  relative  to  the  results.  We  are  outlining  and  inau- 
gurating a  lighting  research  project  at  this  station  to  start 
September  1st,  to  include  1,100  hirds,  SOO  pullets  and  600 
hens.  In  this  project  we  plan  to  test  the  use  of  lights 
on  slow-maturing  pullets.  We  also  plan  to  test  the  lights 
on  early-hatched  pullets  and  on  late-hatched  pullets;  also 
on  breeders,  likewise  on  cull  hens  which  go  into  an  early 
summer  molt,  and  which  would  ordinarily  be  disposed  of 
early  as  nonproductive  birds.  In  this  series  we  shall  also 
study  the  use  of  lights  on  trap-nested  pens  to  determine 
the  effect  of  same  on  individual  production.  This  re- 
search project  will  be  carried  on  with  the  greatest  of  care. 
We  already  have  evidence  giving  us  some  idea  of  what  to 
expect  in  most  of  the  phases  of  this  work,  but  before 
bringing  out  any  definite  facts  for  publication  in  bulletin 
form  we  are  desirous  of  reviewing  these  results  and 
checking  them  in  a  larger  way,  more  nearly  like  what 
might  be  expected  under  average  or  general  commercial 
conditions. 

HARRY   R.   LEWIS, 
"Professor  in  Poultry  Husbandry." 

During  the  last  nine  years,  dating  from  November, 
1912,  the  Department  of  Poultry  Husbandry  of  the  New 
Jersey  State  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  New  Bruns- 
wick, has  issued  monthly  a  four-page  circular,  6x9  inches 
in  size,  entitled  "'Hints  to  Poultrymen,"  in  which  mem- 
bers of  the  department,  in  a  timely  way,  convey  to  the 
poultry  and  (tgs  producers  throughout  the  state,  valuable 
data,  information  and  advice.  Thanks  to  the  enterprise 
and  progressiveness  of  Prof.  Lewis  and  the  up-to-date  and 
earnest  work  of  Mr.  Aubry,  R.  P.  J.  is  in  a  position  to 
publish  herewith  in  full  the  contents  of  "Hints  to  Poul- 
trymen" for  July,  1919,  entitled  "Artificial  Illumination  of 
Poultry  Houses  to  Increase  Fall  and  Winter  Egg  Produc- 
tion," together  with  several  diagrams  and  graphs  that 
were  prepared  especially  for  the  purpose  by  Mr.  Aubry, 
assisted  by  Mr.  R.  R.  Hannas,  also  of  the  Poultry  Depart- 
ment of  the  New  Jersey  College  and  Experiment  Station. 
An  explanation  of  each  diagram  and  graph  will  be  found 
in  connection  therewith,  as  footnotes.  Following  is  Mr. 
Aubry's  well-considered  and  valuable  contribution  on  this 
topic  of  vital  concern  to  all  poultry  keepers  who  are  in- 
terested in  securing  increased  egg  production  for  the  daily 
market  or  home  table  during  the  months  of  usual  scarcity 
and  greatest  value: 


72 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


ARTIFICIAL  ILLUMINATION   OF  POULTRY 
HOUSES  TO  INCREASE  FALL  AND  WIN- 
TER EGG  PRODUCTION 

By  VICTOR  G.  AUBRY 
■^OTHING  in  poultry  keeping  is  being  discussed  more 
■••^  today  than  the  use  of  artificial  lights  in  poultry 
houses  for  the  purpose  of  shortening  the  long  nights  of 
fall  and  winter,  with  the  object  of  enabling  birds  to  feed 
better  and  consequently  to  lay  more  eggs.  At  the  same 
time,  probably  nothing  is  more  misunderstood  than  the 
effects  or  results  of  this  practice.  Many  have  a  belief  that 
there  is  something  about  the  lights  that  stirnulates  egg 
production.  This  belief  is  erroneous.  The  lights  are  a 
means  to  an  end,  and  the  real  factor,  or  the  cause  of  the 
effects  on  egg  production,  is  a  matter  of  feed.  On  this 
point  many  believe  that  this  means  forced  feeding.  This 
also  is  a  wrong  conclusion,  as  it  is  not  a  case  of  "pushing 
the  hens  to  the  feed",  or  of  cramming  it  into  them,  but 
simply  is  giving  them  the  opportunity  to  consume  the 
amount  of  feed  which  they  want  and  which  they  need  in 
order  to  maintain  a  fairly  good  production  during  these 
seasons  of  naturally  low  egg  production. 

Because  of  these  reasons,  let  us  not  forget  that  this 
practice  is  in  no  way  a  matter  of  forcing  our  hens  in  any 
manner  or  form,  but  instead  is  a  practice  which  allows 
the  hen  more  easily  and  more  surely  to  produce  fall  and 
winter  eggs  which  we  so  much  desire  and,  in  fact,  which 
we  are  almost  obliged  to  get  in  order  to  realize  the  in- 
come that  we  must  have. 

This  circular  will  deal  briefly  with  the  most  approved 
methods  of  using  these  lights  (at  least  for  New  Jersey 
conditions)  on  birds  which  are  being  "wintered  over"  for 


HOW  LIGHTS  INCREASE  NET  RETURNS  FROM  THE  POUIiTEY  FLOOK 
These  two  circles  show  the  financial  benefit  of  the  uses  of  artificial  lighting  on  fourteen 
flocks  of  layers  (small  and  large)  in  New  Jersey,  September  1,  1918,  to  March  1-15,  1919. 
Where  lights  were  used  the  egg  yield  was  increased  to  such  an  extent  (average  for  the  four- 
teen flocks)  that  32  cents  out  of  each  dollar  of  the  receipts  paid  for  the  feed  and  lights,  leav- 
ing 68  cents  out  of  each  dollar  as  "net  return"  above  cost  of  feed  and  lights;  whereas,  if 
lights  had  not  been  used  and  only  the  average  egg  yield  for  similar  flocks  "not  lighted" 
(same  six  months)  had  been  obtained,  it  would  have  taken  61  cents  of  each  dollar  of  receipts 
to  pay  for  feed,  leaving  but  39  cents  as  "net  above  feed  cost"  from  each  dollar  of  receipts. — 
Courtesy  of  Victor  G.  Aubry,   Extension  Specialist,   New  Jersey  Agricultural  Experiment  Sta- 


«gg  production  alone,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  breed- 
ing. Although  the  use  of  artificial  lights  is  being  tried 
on  breeding  stock  and  young  stock  with  excellent  results 
to  date,  this  practice  on  these  birds  has  not  developed 
far  enough  to  warrant,  as  yet,  a  general  recommendation. 
But  on  birds  held  for  egg  production  alone,  its  value  has 
been  more  than  satisfactorily  proven,  time  and  again; 
in  fact,  the  results  as  tabulated  near  the  close  of  this  cir- 
cular are  only  representative  of  huudreds  of  others  all 
over  the  country  and  at  a  number  of  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Stations.  It  can  be  said  that  it  is  the  rare  excep- 
tion to  find  results  which  are  negative  or  adverse  to  those 
here  given,  and  the  author,  although  he  has  seen  many 
flocks  so  treated  and  has  received  and  heard  of  the  re- 
sults of  many  more,  has  yet  to  hear  of  a  single  negative 
result. 

Seasons  During  Which  It  Is  Most  Effective 
Any  time  from  September  1st  until  April  1st  will  be 
found  to  be  effective  in  New  Jersey.  Even  in  extreme 
cases  where  these  lights  were  not  used  until  late  in  Jan- 
uary and  in  February,  the  results  were  effective  inside  of 
a  week   or   ten    days   from  the   start.     Of  course,    during 


these  seasons,  egg  production  almost  invariably  is  on 
the  rise  normally,  but  the  results  noted  showed  a  more 
rapid  increase  than  the  normal. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  object  is  to  shorten 
the  long  nights  of  fall  and  winter,  however,  and  that, 
therefore  the  sooner  in  the  season  it  is  started,  the  bet- 
ter. This  is  so  to  the  extent  that  just  a  few  days  will 
mean  quite  a  bit.  We  find  some  who  would  not  use 
lights  on  pullets  until  they  had  started  to  lay  of  them- 
selves, with  the  idea  that  this  would  force  them  to  pre- 
mature production  and  stunt  their  development.  This  is 
wrong,  as  a  bird  will  not  lay  until  her  body  is  so  de- 
veloped as  to  be  able  to  manufacture  eggs  properly. 
These  lights,  however,  hasten  this  development  to  matur- 
ity and  in  no  way  are  they  harmful. 

Another  idea  which  often  holds  up  the  use  of  lights 
early  in  the  fall  is  the  fear  that  if  the  birds  are  started 
too  early  in  the  fall,  they  will  react  during  the  winter, 
that  they  will  stop  laying  and  often  throw  a  molt.  Don't 
forget  that  this  reaction  and  molt  often  happen  to  flocks 
which  have  started  late  and  are  no  doubt  due  more  to  im- 
proper feed,  to  improper  growth  of  pullets  or  to  some  ad- 
verse condition  of  weather,  than  to  the  fact  that  they  have 
already  laid  too  many  eggs.  A  few  flocks  noted  in  the 
tabulations  which  follow  are  February  and  March-hatched 
pullets,  and  to  date  those  that  have  not  suffered  from 
chicken  pox  or  colds  have  not  let  up  in  their  production 
since  last  August,  having  shown  no  molt,  and  they  are 
doing  fine. 

The  lights  should  be  started  on  or  soon  after  Sep- 
tember 1st,  at  least  for  New  Jersey.  For  the  different 
aged  pullets,  differences  in  feeding  should  be  practiced, 
as  is  noted  later.  After  March  1st, 
the  effect  of  lighting  is  very  slight, 
and  for  New  Jersey  conditions  their 
use  could  well  be  stopped  between  the 
1st  and  ISth  of  March. 
Time  of  Day  and  Amount  of  Hours 
to  Use  Lights 
As  far  as  the  birds  themselves  are 
concerned,  it  doesn't  seem  to  matter 
much  during  which  part  of  the  day 
the  lights  are  used,  although  it  is 
sometimes  difficult  to  keep  the  birds 
from  going  to  roost  while  the  lights 
are  still  burning  if  used  entirely  in 
the  evening,  especially  if  run  late, 
after  8:30  or  9:00  p.  m.,  and  when 
lighted  late,  it  often  requires  a  bait 
method  of  some  kind  in  the  feed,  like 
scratch  feed  or  a  warm  mash,  just  be- 
fore closing  time.  Very  good  egg 
yields,  however,  have  been  realized 
when  lights  were  used  all  in  the  even- 
ing, also  when  used  all  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  also  when  used  part  in  the 
evening  and  part  in  the  morning.  I 
believe,  therefore,  that  the  poultry- 
man  on  this  ipoint  may  well  adapt 
time  of  use  to  his  own  conditions  and 
convenience. 
Although  in  just  which  part  of  the  day  these  lights  are 
used  does  not  seem  to  be  so  important,  the  length  of  time 
they  are  used  does  very  materially  affect  results,  and  one 
should  plan  his  time  accordingly  so  that  the  birds  will  get 
as  near  as  'possible  a  uniform  length  of  day.  From  14i/$  to 
\SY2  hours  seems  to  be  the  best  length  of  day.  This,  of 
course,  includes  the  normal  daylight  hours.  For  example,  if 
natural  daylight  starts  at  6  a.  m.  and  darkness  comes  so  the 
birds  go  to  roost  at  7:30  p.  m.,  then  either  one  whole  hour 
of  lights  should  be  given  in  the  morning  before  daylight — 
that  is,  at  5  a.  m.  the  lights  should  be  turned  on — or  an  ex- 
tra hour  at  night,  when  the  lights  should  be  started  at  sev- 
en-thirty, and  shut  off  at  eight-thirty.  Otherwise,  half  of 
the  extra  hour  should  be  given  in  the  morning  and  the  other 
half  at  night.  This  would  give  the  birds  a  total  of  I4j^ 
hours  of  daylight.  One  more  hour  could  be  given  with 
good  results,  but  over  the  lSy'2  hours  has  not  been  found  to 
be  good  as  it  seems  to  tire  the  birds  some  and  they  do  not 
seem  to  want  to  make  use  of  it. 

Under  this  system  one  must  gradually  vary  the  time 
of  starting  his  lights  in  the  morning,  or  of  shutting  them 
off  at  night,  according  to  the  shortening  or  lengthening 
of  the  natural  day.     Where  night  lighting  is  used,  some 


RESULTS  OF  THE  USE  OF  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  IN  NEW  JERSEY 


73 


way  of  gradually  shutting  off  the  lights  is  generally  used 
so  that  the  birds  can  see  to  go  to  roost  and  will  not  find 
themselves  on  the  floor  in  the  dark  on  a  moment's  notice. 
With  electric  lights,  dimmers  or  two  switches  are  used, 
one  turning  off  most  of  the  lights  and  the  other  just  a 
few  which  will  allow  the  birds  to  see  to  go  to  roost.  With 
gasoline  lights,  they  are  turned  off  and  most  of  them  take 
time  enough  in  going  out  to  allow  the  birds  to  go  to 
roost.  Gas  lights  are  turned  down  gradually,  as  also  are 
kerosene  lights.  When  used  in  the  morning,  these  ar- 
rangements of  course  are  not  necessary,  as  the  lights  in 
this  case  are  turned  on  full  blast  and  kept  there  until 
natural  daylight  is  sufficient  to  warrant  turning  them 
out.  It  has  been  found  that  with  electric  lights  if  one  will 
snap  them  off  and  on  a  few  times  just  before  the  time  to 
turn  them  off  for  good,  the  birds  will  of  themselves  go  to 
roost  with  full  lights  on,  making  it  unnecessary  to  use 
dimmers,  etc.  This  can  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  af- 
ter the  fifteen  hours  or  so  the  birds  are  ready  to  go  to 
Toost  anyhow,  especially  if  a  good  scratch  feed  is  given  the 
last  thing'  at  night. 

The  following  schedule 
has  given,  it  seems,  the  best 
satisfaction  of  those  tried,  es- 
pecially to  the  poultryman 
himself,  as  it  has  not  inter- 
fered with  his  going  to  meet- 
ings and  out  on  pleasure  in  the 
€vening: 

Starting  the  lights  at  4:30 
in  the  morning,  until  natural 
daylight. 

Starting  lights  again  as  it 
gets  dark  in  the  afternoon 
(this  time  varies  on  dark  and 
bright  days)  and  shutting 
them  off  at  7:30  in  the  even- 
ing. Once  the  natural  day  has 
gone  over  this  time  the  lights 
may  be  discontinued. 

These  hours  are  given  on 
the  "old  time"  schedule  and 
not  in  accordance  to  the  new 
daylight-saving  schedule  as 
used  during  the  last  two  years. 

When  the  lights  are  used 
either  all  in  the  morning  or  all 
at  night  it  makes  it  quite  in- 
convenient to  the  poultryman 
during  December  and  January, 
especially  when  the  days  are 
extremely  short  as  it  obliges 
him  to  either  start  lights 
around  3  a.  m.  or  to  stay  up 
around  10  p.  m. 
Kind  and  Amovint  of  Light 

Any  kind  of  light  from 
kerosene  to   electric   light  has 

been  found  all  right,  provided  the  birds  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  seeing.  The  electric  light,  it  goes  without  say- 
ing, is  the  most  convenient 'and  least  dangerous  as  to  fire, 
and  in  most  cases  is  as  cheap  as  any  in  the  end,  although 
where  electric  lights  are  not  obtainable,  some  of  the 
types  of  gasoline  lamps  have  given  excellent  satisfaction 
and  are  cheap  to  run.  Most  of  them  are  safe  from  fire 
danger,  having  been  underwritten  by  fire  insurance  com- 
panies. The  prices  of  these  lamps  run  from  five  to  fif- 
teen dollars  each.  Ordinary  kerosene  lanterns,  if  enough 
are  used  and  if  a  good  reflector  is  placed  back  of  them 
(andof  course  if  kept  clean),  have  done  well.  One  should 
not  ignore  this  system  or  turn  it  down  because  of  diffi- 
culty in  getting  lights.  The  cost  of  the  gasoline  lantern 
is  made  up  many  times  in  a  short  while  by  the  extra  re- 
turns on  eggs,  and  some  poultrymen,  during  the  past 
year,  have  even  more  than  paid  for  the  installation  of 
one  of  the  farm  electrical  units  costing  about  $400.00,  do- 
ing this  on  extra  eggs  alone,  and  before  the  season  was 
quite  half  over. 

The  light  that  corresponds  to  a  40-watt  electric  lamp 
is  the  least  that  should  be  used  for  about  100  birds,  and 
80  or  90  watts  or  even  more  will  be  found  still  more 
profitable.  Usually  one  of  the  gasoline  lanterns  and  four 
or  more  of  the  barn  lanterns  with  reflectors  will  do,  al- 
though here  again  more  is  better  than  less. 


Feeding  Birds  Under  Lights 

Feeding  under  this  system  is  very  much  the  same  as 
it  is  under  ordinary  management,  but  nevertheless  there 
are  certain  important  details  that  should  be  observed, 
which  will  help  a  great  deal  to  make  this  system  more 
successful.  As  stated  before,  the  significant  factor  which 
affects  our  birds  is  one  of  feed.  During  the  short  days 
and  especially  the  long  nights,  which  are  on  the  increase 
until  the  latter  part  of  December,  a  large  majority  of  our 
birds  get  very  little  more  feed  than  enough  to  maintain 
body  heat,  to  rebuild  broken  cells  and  to  function  properly 
the  various  organs.  Consequently,  of  course,  they  have 
difficulty  in  producing  eggs,  and  it  may  be  said  that  some 
do  not  even  get  sufficient  food  for  maintenance,  which 
condition  causes  a  large  proportion  of  our  winter  trou- 
bles. Some  hens,  as  shown  by  the  trap  nests,  are  heavy 
winter  layers,  often  laying  as  many  eggs  during  the  six 
months  of  fall  and  winter  as  they  do  during  the  balance 
of  the  year,  and  doing  this  without  lights.  This  condition 
is  explained  by  the  fact  that  these  hens  are  exceptionally 


-^-^  fc<HL^.A_viL_a_^  p,^^ 


mif. 


YYFFKS 

KESITLTS  01"  USB  OF  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  IN  NEW  JERSEY 
This  graph  or  diagram  illustrates  Table  on  page  74.  It  shows  results  of  lights  on  3,940 
birds,  "kept  in  14  different  flocks  and  cared  for  by  14  different  poultrymen,"  from  Sep- 
tember 1,  1918,  to  March  1-15,  1919,  as  reported  weekly  to  the  State  Poultry  Department, 
New  Brunswick.  Per  cent  of  production  is  shown  in  left-hand  column  of  figures.  Dotted  line 
shows  actual  production,  week  by  week,  made  by  the  fourteen  flocks  under  lights,  while  solid 
black  line  shows  average  production  during  the  same  period  by  practically  10,000  birds  in 
New  Jersey,  kept  under  similar  conditions  but  without  lights,  as  reported  at  regular  intervals 
to  the  Poultry  Department  at  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  Reports  received,  figures 
compiled  and  this  graph  made  by  (or  under  the  direction  of)  Mr.  V.  G.  Aubry,  Extension 
Specialist,  Poultry  Department,  New  Jersey  State  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


efficient  utilizers  of  food  material  and  waste,  so  that  they 
pass  off  a  minimum  amount  of  food  in  the  droppings. 
Such  hens  are  exceptional.  As  shown  by  the  average 
low-flock  production  during  these  seasons,  the  average 
hen  wastes  or  passes  off  in  her  droppings  much  more 
food  material,  thereby  not  using  efficiently  the  short  ra- 
tion which  she  must  necessarily  get  during  the  season  of 
long  nights.  This  means  that  the  average  hen  does  not 
get  sufficient  nutrition  to  manufacture  eggs  during  the 
fall,  and  especially  during  the  winter. 

As  is  true  of  other  animals,  no  two  hens  assimilate 
feed  in  the  same  degree  of  efficiency,  and  there  is  also, 
no  doubt,  a  wide  variation  as  to  the  actual  amount  of  nu- 
trition necessary  for  maintenance  in  different  hens.  The 
size  of  the  hen,  and  without  doubt  numerous  other  factors, 
influence  this  character.  So  the  natural  winter  layer  is 
the  hen  that  so  efficiently  utilizes  her  feed  as  to  allow 
her  enough  of  a  surplus  over  maintenance  TO  MAKE 
EGGS,  whereas  the  average  hens  are  only  able  during 
these  seasons  to  maintain  themselves,  with  the  same  op- 
portunity to  get  feed. 

The  artificial  lighting,  therefore,  will  only  affect  the 
extra  good  hen  in  so  far  as  it  gives  her  more  oppor- 
tunity to  stay  within  the  amount  of  food  she  needs, 
for  even  such  hens,  without  doubt,  are  often  close  to  the 
edge  of  starvation  as  far  as  egg  production  goes  and  un- 


USE   OF   ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


der  such  conditions  will  fall  off  in  production  when  weath- 
er conditions  are  unfavorable.  Lights,  therefore,  will  not 
affect  such  a  hen's  production  much.  But  this  system  is 
most  effective  on  the  average  and  poorer  hens,  as  it  gives 
them  the  chance  to  get  the  surplus  feed  needed  for  egg 
production.  It  accordingly  then  does  not  force  them,  but 
gives  them  the  opportunity  which  they  seek. 
The  Rations  To  Be  Used 
Scratch  feed  (parts  by  weight) 

Cracked  or  whole  corn  2 

Wheat 1 

Oats   1 

Mash    feed     (parts    by    weight) 

Wheat  bran  1 

Wheat  middlings  1 

Com  meal   1 

Ground  oats   (heavy)   1 

Meat  scrap  or  fish  scrap   (high  grade)   1 

The  mash  feed  should  be  fed  dry  and  in  boxes  or  self- 
feeders  kept  constantly  before  the  birds  and  available  to 
them  at  ALL  times.  This  system  of  feeding  mash  may  be 
supplemented  by  feeding  the  same  mixture  wet  and  given 
during  the  middle  of  the  day.     But  only  enough  wet  mash 


A  good  big  feed  of  scratch  should  be  given  at  night,  be- 
cause if  they  can  be  made  to  go  to  roost  with  a  crop  full 
of  scratch  feed,  it  will  last  them  through  the  night  much 
better. 

Schedule   for  Feeding   Scratch  Feed 
Pounds  per   100  birds 


Septe 

October 

Novembe 


Early  . 


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LIGHTED      AND 


A  GRAPHIC  COMPARISON  OF  THE  RESULTS  SECURED 
UNLIGHTED  PENS 
The  interested  reader,  on  noting  illustration  on  page  73,  naturally  will  wonder  why  there 
was  a  decrease  in  egg  production  under  lights  the  last  two  weeks  of  October  and  the  first 
week  of  November,  1918;  also  from  December  1st  to  the  middle  of  January  following.  This 
was  caused  by  chicken  pox  in  several  of  the  14  flocks,  which  affected  the  pullets  in  October- 
November  and  both  the  hens  and  pullets  in  December-January.  Above  diagram  shows  the  egg 
production  (dotted  line  with  lights  and  solid  line  without  lights)  during  the  same  six  months, 
as  made  by  three  of  the  fojirteen  flocks  that  did  not  have  chicken  pox.  Note  the  much  larger 
yield  proportionately  of  these  three  flocks  (on  a  percentage  basis)  and  their  consistent  pro- 
duction "under  lights,"  For  further  details,  see  article  on  the  opposite  page,  entitled 
"Further  Facts  About  Use  of  'Lighting  System'  in  New  Jersey." 


When  this. is  supplemented  with  a  wet  mash  it  is  best 
to  give  the  mash  just  after  noon.  Following  this  sched- 
ule will  be  found  to  induce  birds  to  work  pretty  well  all 
day,  and  will  do  away  with  a  great  deal  of  the  inactivity 
which  is  apt  to  develop  during  cold  and  bad  weather. 

On  late-hatched  pullets  this  schedule  of  feeding  scratch 
feed  should  begin  just  before  it  is  expected  the  birds  will 
or  should  come  into  laying,  or  after  a  few  eggs  are  found 
in  the  pens.  Before  this  time,  for  about  three  weeks  to  a 
month,  these  pullets  should  be  fed  quite  heavily  on  scratch 
feed.  This  will  enable  them  to  come  in- 
to production  with  a  good  reserve  of  fat 
and  in  good  condition,  a  matter  which 
is  quite  important  for  the  steady  win- 
ter egg  production.  By  heavy  scratch 
feeding  is  meant  from  12  to  14  pounds 
daily  per  100  birds,  about  half  in  the 
morning  and  the  other  half  at  night. 
The  results  (see  table)  show  a  lit- 
tle bit  less  than  double  egg  produc- 
tion due  to  lights  and  when  eggs  are 
figured  in  dollars  and  cents  they 
show  four  times  the  net  returns  over 
the  cost  of  feed  and  lights  in  the 
lighted  pens. 

These  flocks  showed  much  bet- 
ter condition  of  health,  etc.,  as  a 
whole,  than  did  the  birds  not  under 
lights,  and  although  in  most  pens  the 
lights  were  discontinued  by  April  1st, 
these  hens  are  laying  today  (June  1, 
1919)  about  the  same  number  of  eggs 
as  the  birds  which  have  not  been  un- 
der  lights. 

The  practice  of  artificially  light- 
ing hen  houses  has  shown  beyond  a 
shadow  of  doubt  that  it  will  mate- 
rially increase  fall  and  winter  egg 
production  and  has  very  little,  if  any, 
influence  on  the  egg  production 
which  follows  during  the  spring  and 
summer.  It  has  also  shown  that  it  is 
not  a  forcing  or  so-called  "burning 
up"  of  the  hens,  but  is  rather  giving 
the  hens  an  opportunity  to  do  what 
they  should  do  and  that  which  they 
seem  to  be  anxious  to  do. 

The  following  tabulations  are  the 
results  of  lights  on  3,940  birds  taken 
in  New  Jersey.  These  birds  were 
kept  in  14  different  flocks  and  cared 
for  by  14  different  poultrymen.  These 
flocks  are  located  in  north,  central 
and  south  Jersey  and  include  flocks 
from    general    farms    as   well    as    city 


back-yard  flocks  and  commercial  poultry  farm  flocks. 


should  be  given  so  that  they  will  clean  it  up  in  half  an 
hour  at  most.  (This  is  important,  as  they  usually  get 
sick  of  wet  mash  if  it  is  left  before  them,  any  longer.) 

The  scratch  feed  should  be  given  at  least  three  times 
daily  and  in  cold  and  disagreeable  weather  may  well  be 
given  four  times.  The  amount  of  mash  the  birds  will  eat 
will  be  influenced  greatly  by  the  amount  of  scratch  feed 
given,  as  they  will  consume  a  large  part  of  their  daily  ra- 
tion in  the  form  of  scratch  feed  if  enough  is  given.  There- 
fore, only  a  small  part  of  this  scratch  feed  should  be  given 
in  the  morning,  thereby  making  the  birds  hungry  for  mash. 
The  scratch  feed  given  in  the  morning  is  more  for  the 
purpose  of  exercise  than  anything  else,  and  it  will  be 
found  that  they  will  work  and  scratch  as  hard  for  one 
pound  of  scratch  as  they  will  for  ten  ipounds.    When  given      -- ^^^-^  ^^"^^{r^mcn's  ^daiirproduc'tr^n 

too  much,  they  will  only  eat  that  which  they  find  on  the      JZ ^  L_l 

surface  of  the   litter  and   then  will  be   more   or  less   satis-  (jf^jg.    T^e   foregoing   article    is   reprinted   from   the   July, 

fied  and  will  not  dig  for  the  part  that  sifts  to  the  floor.        Ume  of  B.  P.  J.) 


TABLE  SHOWING  RESULTS  OF  THE  USE  OF  LIGHTING 
SYSTEM  IN  NEW  JERSEY 

Sept.      Oct.      Nov.      Dec.      Jan.       Feb. 

1918      1918      1918      1918      1919      1919     Total 

No.    of   flocks 14  14  14  14  14  14  14 

No.    of   birds 3940      3940      3940      3371      3878      3745        3802 

No.  of  eggs 35463   45190   53188   39771   52896   54003   230511 

Per   cent,   production       30  37  45    38.06  44      51.5  41 

Av.    for    state    where 

no  lights  were  used       26  13  15      20.4  25       33.3  22 

Inc.    egg    production 

due    to    lights 5051   30312   35458   15686   22601   18050   127158 

Note  that  there  is  a  variation  as  to  the  number  of 
birds.  This  was  made  necessary  as  some  owners  were  late 
in  making  their  returns.  In  fact,  in  some  cases  it  was  nec- 
essary in  order  to  get  the  monthly  records,  to  copy  them 


Further  Facts  About  Use  of  "Lighting  System"  in  New  Jersey 

ACTUAL  CASES  IN  FORM  OF  DAY-BY-DAY  REPORTS,  SHOWING  HOW  MUCH  BETTER 
PULLETS  AND  HENS  LAID  "UNDER  LIGHTS"  THAN  OTHER  SIMILAR  FOWL  DID  UNDER 
SAME  CONDITIONS  BUT  "NOT  LIGHTED"— WHERE  NOT  CUT  DOWN  IN  PRODUCTION 
BY  CHICKEN  POX,  THE  LIGHTED  BIRDS  LAID  ABOUT  TWO  AND  ONE-HALF  EGGS  TO 
THE  OTHERS'  ONE— REMARKABLE  YIELD  UNDER  LIGHTS  OF  TWO  COMMERCIAL 
FLOCKS  OF  YEARLING  HENS   DURING   LAST   DECEMBER,    JANUARY   AND    FEBRUARY 


TO  a  great  extent  the  financial  value  to  poultrymen 
of  the  use  of  artificial  illumination  during  the 
short-day  period  of  each  season  (September  1st 
to  the  following  March  1st  or  April  1st)  depends  on  the 
amount  of  increase  in  egg  production  thus  secured,  as 
compared  with  results  from  the  same  kind  of  fowls  kept 
in  the  same  locality  under  substantially  the  same  condi- 
tions, but  without  the  use  of  artificial  lighting.  In  this 
connection,  note  the  graiph  on  page  72,  the  dotted  line 
in  which  shows  actual  production  on  a  percentage  basis 
of  fourteen  flocks  "under  lights"  numbering  practically 
4,000  birds,  as  compared  with  about  10,000  birds  that  were 
not  "under  lights."  All  these  'birds  were  S.  C  White 
Leghorns.  Asked  by  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  abo-ut  the  10,000 
birds  (using  round  numbers),  Mr.  Victor  G.  Aubry,  ex- 
tension specialist  of  the  Poultry  Department  at  the  New 
Jersey  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  said,  in  sub- 
stance: 

"This  was  the  actual  production,  as  shown  by  percent- 
ages, of  about  10,000  birds  in  our  state  during  the  same 
months  (September  1,  1918,  to  March  1,  1919,  inclusive), 
which  average  production  was  confirmed  by  nonlighted 
pens  on  the  same  fourteen  plants  that  tested  the  lighting 
system  and  gave  weekly  reports  on  the  results  thereof." 

The  actual  average  production  for  the  fourteen  light- 
ed flocks,  as  given  by  Mr.  Aubry  (see  table  on  page  74), 
entitled,  "Results  of  the  Use  of  Lighting  System  in  New 
Jersey",  was  41  per  cent,  while  in  the  same  table  Mr. 
Aubry  gives  the  "average  for  state  where  no  lights  were 
used"  as  22  per  cent.  From  other  records  on  file  in  the 
poultry  department  of  the  New  Jersey  Agricultural  Ex- 
periment Station  it  was  learned  by  us  that  the  monthly  egg 
production  on  a  large  number  of  New  Jersey  commercial 
tsg  plants  without  lights,  September  1st,  1917,  to  March 
1st,  1918,  (one  year  earlier)  was:  September,  24  per  cent; 
October,  12  per  cent;  November,  14  per  cent;  December,  18 
per  cent;  January,  20  per  cent;  February,  33  per  cent,  or 
an  average  of  twenty  and  one-sixth  per  cent  for  the  six 
months,  representing  the  short-day  period  of  the  year. 
Please  keep  these  averages  in  mind. 

Attention  at  this  point  is  directed  to  the  graph  on 
page  73  as  compared  with  the  production  (on  a  per- 
centage basis)  shown  by  graph  on  page  74.  What  we  are 
considering  in  this  article  or  report  is  the  VALUE  of  the 
lighting  system,  as  compared  with  "no  lights."  We  asked 
Mr.  Aubry  for  an  explanation  of  the  falling  off  in  egg 
production  "under  lights"  on  the  part  of  the  4,000  birds 
during  the  last  two  weeks  of  October  and  the  first  week 
of  November,  1918,  also  from  December  first  to  the  mid- 
dle of  January  following,  as  shown  so  clearly  in  graph  on 
page  73.  He  stated  that  this  was  mainly  (in  fact,  almost 
wholly)  on  account  of  two  temporary  epidemics  of  chicken 
pox,  one  that  affected  the  pullets  in  particular  during  the 
latter  part  of  October  and  forepart  of  November,  and 
another  that  affected  both  the  pullets  and  hens  during 
December  and  the  forepart  of  January.  Asked  if  all  the 
fourteen  flocks  were  thus  affected,  he  replied  in  the  nega- 
tive, stating  that  the  severity  of  the  attack  varied  with 
the  different  flocks  and  that  three  of  the  flocks  were  not 
affected  at  all. 


by  EDITOR 

The  graph  on  page  73  shows  the  production  of  the 
three  flocks  that  were  not  affected  by  the  chicken  pox 
and  also  shows  much  more  consistent  laying,  so  to  speak, 
under  the  effects  of  the  lighting  system,  because,  accord- 
ing to  the  best  knowledge  to  date,  the  dotted  line  of  in- 
creased  production   as   shown   on    page   73    (for   examiple) 


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USE  OF  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  IN  NEW  JERSEY 
Among  the  fourteen  flocks  covered  by  the  reports  made  to  the 
New  Jersey  State  Agricultural  College  (see  Table  on  page  74)  were 
two  flocks  of  yearling  hens,  one  consisting  of  446  birds  and  the 
other  of  556.  Above  diagram  or  graph  shows  the  remarkable  results 
of  the  use  of  lights  on  these  1,002  hens  in  their  second  year  of  pro- 
duction.    To  appreciate  the  cash  benefit  to  the  poultryman  who  looks 


nder  similar  con- 
comparatively  low  production,  week  for  week, 
shown  on  page  73. 


"without  lights' 

ought  not  dip  down  as  it  did  about  November  1st,  also 
late  in  December,  but  should  continue  in  the  form  of  a 
quite  regular  curve  from  the  production  of  September 
1st  to  the  production  that  should  be  obtained  March  1st, 
this  later  production  to  be  well  up  toward  55  to  65  per 
cent.  Unusual  or  severe  changes  of  weather  may  be  ex- 
pected to  cause  moderate  variations  as  shown  in  the  dot- 
ted line,  also  in  the  solid  black  line  on  page  74,  hut  these 
variations,  in  the  absence  of  some  affliction  like  chicken 
pox,  ought  not  be  as  great  as  those  in  illustration  on 
page  73. 

Two  facts  in  particular  are  emphasized  by  graph  on 
page  75:     first,  the  remarkably  good  results  obtained  dur- 

75 


76 


USE   OF   ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


ing  the  winter  months — December,  January  and  February 
— from  yearling  hens  under  lights,  as  compared 
with  the  usual  production  of  hens  not  under  lights 
{this  winter  production  averaging  in  the  state  of  New 
Jersey  about  20  to  22  per  cent);  and,  second,  it  shows 
also  the  effect  of  the  attack  of  chicken  pox  on  these  year- 
ling hens,  from  which  they  suffered  to  an  extent  during 
late  February  and  early  March.  According  to  statements 
made  to  us  by  poultrymen  in  New  Jersey,  also  by  Mr. 
Aubry,  an  attack  of  chicken  pox,  temporary  in  effect,  and 
lasting  three  to  four  weeks,  may  be  expected  to  cut  down 
the  egg  production  of  a  flock  15  to  20  per  cent  and  this 
is  true  whether  or  not  the  birds  are  under  lights.  As  a 
matter  of  course,  in  our  efforts  to  determine  by  actual 
tests  the  comparative  value  of  the  use  of  artificial  illum- 
ination to  increase  winter  egg  production,  or  production 
during  the  short-day  period  of  each  season,  including  the 
fall  months,  we  are  entitled  to  eliminate,  so  far  as  we  can, 
the  adverse  effects  of  poultry  ailments,  such  as  chicken 
pox  in  this  case. 

To  get  a  good  general  idea  of  the  benefits  of  the 
lighting  system  in  the  form  of  increased  production,  as 
represented  by  percentages,  let  the  reader  keep  in  mind 
that  practically  10,000  S.  C.  White  Leghorns  in  New  Jer- 
sey last  fall  and  winter  (September  1,  1918-March  1,  1919) 
averaged  to  lay  about  22  per  cent  of  eggs  (a  comparative- 
ly mild  winter),  whereas,  during  the  last  four  or  five  years 
the  comparatively  well-managed  commercial  egg  plants 
of  New  Jersey  have  averaged  for  September,  October, 
November,  December,  January  and  February,  only  twenty 
and  one-sixth  per  cent.  It  follows  then,  that  whatever 
excess  above  this  twenty  and  one-sixth-  per  cent  and 
22  per  cent  a  considerable  number  of  these  fourteen 
"lighted  flocks"  produced  during  the  same  six  months  of 
last  season,  may  be  regarded  as  largely  due  to  the  lights, 
and  the  same  is  true  of  the  profits  therefrom,  except  that 
the  increased  production  required  more  food,  and  the 
cost  of  the  lights  also  is  to  be  considered. 

Added  Cost  of  Feed  and  Lights 

With  regard  to  the  increased  cost  of  feed,  Mr.  Aubry 
reported  that  the  feed  for  the  3,940  birds  that  laid  280,511 
eggs  (see  table  on  page  74)  actually  cost,  as  per  reports 
furnished  him,  $5,910.00,  whereas  an  equal  number  of  birds 
not  under  lights,  consunjed  in  the  same  period,  $5,082.20 
worth  of  feed.  This  difference  is  not  great,  in  fact,  it  is 
surprisingly  small.  Asked  about  the  average  cost  of 
"lights"  in  New  Jersey,  Mr.  Aubry  said: 

"It  has  been  rather  hard  to  estimate  the  cost  of  lights, 
especially  since  all  kinds  of  lights  have  been  used,  from 
kerosene  lanterns  up  to  electric  lights;  also  because  in 
sorne  cases  more  than  twice  as  much  light  has  been  used 
as  in  others.  However,  basing  our  estimate  on  reports 
given  us  by  operators,  this  cost  has  averaged  about  one 
cent  a  month  per  bird  for  the  six  months,  making  an  extra 
cost  of  six  cents  per  bird  for  the  use  of  lights  during  a  six- 
month  lighting  season.  This  figure,  so  all  the  record 
keepers  have  agreed,  amply  covers  the  cost  of  lighting,  in- 
cluding electric  lights,  gasoline  lamps  and  kerosene  lan- 
terns, not  taking  into  account  the  question  of  labor  in  car- 
ing for  the  different  kinds  of  lights." 

Keeping  in  mind  the  New  Jersey  averages  herein 
given  for  nonlighted  flocks  (20  1-6  per  cent  and  22  per 
cent)  let  us  compare  same  with  ACTUAL  egg  yields  ob- 
tained by  half  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  fourteen  New  Jer- 
sey poultrymen  who  made  monthly  reports  to  the  Poultry 
Department  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  dur- 
ing the  time  they  were  testing  "lights."     Said  Mr.  Aubry: 

"You  would  be  interested  to  get  acquainted  with  some 
of  the  men  who  have  been  keeping  these  records.  Take 
for  example,  Mr.  Richard  Heinie  who  is  one  of  the  pioneer 


poultry  keepers  in  the  Lakewood  section.  He  is  a  .man 
who  has  put  quite  a  bit  of  study  into  his  poultry  work, 
and,  because  he  was  one  of  the  beginners  in  that  district, 
his  neighbors  have  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  his  teach- 
ings and  the  results  obtained  by  him.  His  son,  Henry 
Heinie,  who  is  located  on  a  place  immediately  adjoining 
his  father's,  is  likewise  putting  a  good  deal  of  thought  into 
his  poultry  work.  Both  of  these  men  depend  entirely  on 
poultry  for  their  livelihood.  You  will  be  interested  to  ' 
know  that  Mr.  Henry  Heinie,  when  he  started  to  test  lights, 
used  gasoline  lanterns  to  light  his  pens  until  he  had  the  op- 
portunity to'  install  electric  lights,  and  he  states  that,  al- 
though the  electric  lights  are  a  good  deal  more  conven- 
ient and  easier  to  take  care  of,  the  gasoline  lights  seem 
to  give  just  as  good  results  so  far  as  the  birds  are  con- 
cerned, including  the  increased  egg  yield.  This  bears  out 
the  reports  of  practically  all  the  men  in  the  state  with 
whom  we  have  been  in  touch.  That  is,  that  just  as  long 
as  the  birds  have  light  AND  A  SUFFICIENT  AMOUNT 
OF  IT  it  seems  to  make  no  difference  what  source  it 
comes  from,  but  the  electric  lights,  of  course,  are  much 
more  convenient  to  poultrymen." 

Following  is  the  egg  production  that  Henry  Heinie 
obtained  from  the  use  of  lights  on  the  percentage  basis, 
from  172  March-hatched  ipullets  and  578  April-hatched 
pullets,  given  by  weeks,   Sept.   1,   1918,  to  March   1,  1919: 

September  1-7,  20.5  per  cent;  September  8-14,  30.8; 
September  15-21,  46;  September  22-28,  45;  September  29- 
October  5,  51;  October  6-12,  48;  October  13-19,  53;  Octo- 
ber 20-26,  47;  October  27-November  2,  43;  November  3-9, 
42;  November  10-16,  48;  November  17-23,  48;  November  24- 
30,  58;  December  1-7,  53;  December  8-14,  49.5;  December 
15-21,  51.5;  December  22-28,  54.5;  December  29-January  4, 
55;  January  5-11,  52;  January  12-18,  61.8;  January  19-25, 
53.5;  January  26-February  1,  54.5;  February  2-8,  54;  Feb- 
ruary 9-15,  51;  February  16-22,  43;  Feb.  23-March  1,  43.5. 

From  December  1,  1918,  to  April  1,  1919,  Richard 
Heinie  obtained  the  following  weekly  percentages  from  556 
hens  under  lights: 

December  1-7  (lights  turned  on  December  1st)  9  per 
cent;  December  8-14,  15;  December  15-21,  36.5;  December 
22-28,  53;  December  29-January  4,  57;  January  5-11,  55; 
January  12-18,  55.8;  January  19-25,  56;  January  26-February 
1,  56.5;  February  2-8,  57;  Feb.  9-15,  55;  February  16-22,  50; 
February  23-March  1,  46;  March  2-8,  40;  March  9-15,  51.5; 
March  16-23,  57.5;  March  23-30,  58.3. 

Extra  Eggs  Soon  Paid  for  Electric  Lighting  Plant 

Referring  to  his  reports  and  records,  at  the  time  of 
this  interview,  Mr.  Aubry  said  further: 

"You  would  also  enjoy  visiting  the  poultry  plant  of 
Mr.  A.  B.  Faure,  who  was  a  beginner  in  this  work  about 
two  years  ago.  He  is  truly  progressive  and  always  ready 
to  adopt  any  new  method  or  system  that  has  proved  to  be 
beneficial.  Mr.  Faure  not  only  has  tried  this  system  on 
his  pullets  the  past  fall  and  winter — 446  of  them — but  he 
had  the  courage  to  keep  lights  on  his  hens,  including  those 
he  used  as  breeders.  Mr.  Faure's  farm  is  located  in  the 
northern  end  of  Cape  May  County,  which  is  the  extreme 
southern  county  of  New  Jersey. 

"In  Mr.  Faure's  section  of  Cape  May  the  land  is  very 
light  and  unless  given  the  best  of  care,  is  not  very  produc- 
tive. For  this  reason  Mr.  Faure  was  able  to  buy  his  farm 
at  a  low  figure  and  he  has  kept  the  building  cost  down  to 
the  minimum.  He  has  on  his  farm,  the  capacity  to  'winter 
over'  about  one  thousand  birds  and  his  outlay  was  less 
than  $3,000.00,  or  a  little  less  than  $3.00  per  bird  and  when 
figuring-  the  cost  of  the  birds  themselves  at  $1.50  each,  this 
makes  his  outlay  for  the  entire  l.OOO-bird  poultry  plant 
about  $4,500.00.  I  quote  Mr.  Faure  when  I  say  that  he 
has  more  than  made  up,  on  the  EXTRA  EGGS  received 
from  the  use  of  lights,  for  the  cost  of  installing  a  farmer's 
electric  lighting  plant,  which  cost  him  over  $400.00.  This 
he  did  on  a  comparatively  few  birds — just  short  of  900. 
Additional  to  the  pullets  mentoned,  'he  kept  over'  about 
440  hens.  This  is  one  of  three  poultrymen  in  New  Jersey, 
known  to  me,  who  have  paid,  this  last  season,  for  the  in- 
stallation of  an  electric  lighting  system,  doing  so  on  the 
extra  eggs  received  from  their  birds  under  lights." 

From  the  446  pullets  carried  through  last  fall  and  win- 
ter by  Mr.  Faure  and  iplaced  under  lights,  he  obtained  the 


FURTHER  FACTS  ABOUT  USE  OF  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  IN  NEW  JERSEY 


17 


following  yield,  week  by  week,  as  expressed  in  ipercent- 
ages,  September  1,  1918,  to  March  1,  1919: 

September  1-7,  24.6;  September  8-14,  41.4;  September 
15-21,  55. S;  September  22-28,  62.2;  September  29-October 
5,  54.5;  October  6-12,  56.5;  October  13-19,  50;  October  20- 
26,  52.5;  October  27-November  2,  52;  November  3-9,  37; 
November  10-16,  47;  November  17-23,  39.5;  November  24- 
30,  37;  December  1-7,  38.2;  December  8-14,  41.6;  December 
15-21,  48.3;  December  22-28,  54.1;  December  29-January  4, 
56.2;  January  5-11,  57.1;  January  12-18,  53.4;  January  19-25, 
54.3;  January  26-February  1,  51.8;  February  2-8,  52.6;  Feb- 
ruary 9-15,  54.5;  February  16-22,  52.4;  February  23-March 
1,  50.4. 

December  1st  to  March  1st,  from  an  equal  number  of 
hens  placed  under  light  (446),  Mr.  Faure  obtained  the  fol- 
lowing yield,  as  stated  in  percentages: 

December  1-7,  5; 
December  8-14,  13.5; 
December  15-21,  24; 
December  22-28, 
36.5;  December  29- 
January  4,  47;  Jan- 
uary 5-11,  47.5;  Jan- 
uary 12-18,  46.5;  Jan- 
uary 19-25,  47;  Jan- 
uary 26-February  1, 
37;  February  2-8,  31; 
February  9-15,  32.5; 
February  16-22,  34.5; 
February  23-March 
1,  34.5. 

Our  readers  i  n 
general  will  be  in- 
terested in  the  fact 
that  the  temperature 
in  central  New  Jer- 
sey goes  down  to 
about  10  degrees 
above  zero  in  mid- 
winter, while  farther 
north  in  the  state 
it  sometimes  drops 
to  zero  for  a  day  or 
two,  or  a  few  hours. 
Again  referring  to  his  records,  Mr.  Aubry  said: 

"Here  are  the  reports  of  Mr.  Fred  Naylor  who  lives  in 
the  western  part  of  Monmouth  County.  He  is  another 
beginner  who  has  used  artificial  illumination  in  his  houses 
with  surprising  results,  although  he  attributes  a  good 
deal  of  his  success,  as  regards  his  first  winter's  produc- 
tion, to  the  good  stock  he  obtained  and  to  the  fact  that 
he  grew  his  young  stock  on  a  range  where  poultry  never 
before  had  been  kept,  yet  he  credits  most  of  his  phenom- 
enal fall  and  winter  egg  production  to  the  fact  that  he 
used  lights." 

Following  is  Mr.  Naylor's  production  from  pullets, 
the  flock  consisting  of  840  birds,  on  the  average: 

September  1-7,  12;  September  8-14,  17;  September  15- 
21,  24.3;  September  22-28,  37;  September  29-October  5,  39; 
October  6-12,  43.4;  October  13-19,  44.6;  October  20-26,  45; 
October  27-Novem'ber  2,  44.1;  November  3-9,  41.4;  No- 
vember 10-16,  40.3;  November  17-23,  40;  November  24-30, 
45.4;  December  1-7,  46;  December  8-14,  53;  December  15- 
21,  56;  December  22-28,  62;  December  29-January  4,  64.3; 
January  5-11,  60;  January  12-18,  58.9;  January  19-25,  59; 
January  26-February  1,  61;  February  2-8.  62;  February 
9-15,  60.1;  February  16-22,  58;  February  23-March  1,  56; 
March  2-8,  51.5;  March  9-15,  52. 

Two  General  Farmers  Who  Tried  "Lights" 

Continuing,   Mr.  Aubry  said: 

"Also  here  are  reports  from  two  general  farmers.  I 
refer  to  John  H.  Miller  and  to  Wm.  Wilson,  both  located 
in  the  western  part  of  New  Jersey  along  the  Delaware 
river.  They  raise  poultry  as  an  important  side  line.  This 
is  especially  true  of  Mr.  Miller,  who  carries  about  600 
birds.  Apples  are  his  main  crop.  Both  of  these  men, 
however,  have  realized  the  importance  of  poultry  when 
properly  cared  for  and,  therefore,  are  giving  their  hens 
the  opportunity  they  ought  to  have.     After  having  used 


the  lights  this  last  winter  on  their  flocks,  they  have  be- 
come more  enthusiastic  than  ever  in  regard  to  poultry 
keeping  and  in  future  will  make  this  work  what  might  be 
called  'a  main  side  line'  on  their  general  farms.  Both  of 
these  men  used  gasoline  lanterns  to  light  their  pens." 

Mr.  Miller's  egg  production  from  600  S.  C.  White 
Leghorns  (we  do  not  know  the  proportion  of  pullets  and 
hens)  September  1,  1918,  to  April  1,  1919,  was  as  follows: 

September  1-7,  8.1  (lights  turned  on  September  1st); 
September  8-14,  11;  September  15-21,  14;  September  22-28, 
16.2;  September  29-October  5,  20.3;  October  6-12,  20;  Oc- 
tober 13-19,  21.8;  October  20-26,  23;  October  27-Novem- 
ber 2,  24.5;  November  3-9,  28.7;  November  10-16,  30.8;  No- 
vember 17-23,  35.4;  November  24-30,  43.4;  December  1-7, 
48.6;  December  8-14,  54.4;  December  15-21,  56.8;  Decem- 
ber 22-28,  58.4;  December  29-January  4,  54.1;  January  5-11, 


NOT  UNUSUAL  THESE  DATS  TO  HAVE  200-EGG  FLOCKS 
The  300-egg  hen  and  the  200-egg  flock  (average  per  hen)  are  now  at  hand — no  doubt  about  it,  and  this 
without  the  use  of  lights,  though  "lights"  will  make  200  to  300-eggers  of  many  a  hen  that  otherwise  could  not 
reach  these  high  records  of  production  and  also  will  bring  pens  and  flocks  to  the  200-egg  per  hen  average  and 
better.  Illustrated  herewith  is  a  pen  of  ten  S.  C.  W.  Leghorns  that  laid  2,114  eggs  during  their  pullet  year 
in  the  Vineland  Contest  (New  Jersey),  or  an  average  of  211.4  eggs  per  hen.  Their  individual  yield  was:  - 
246,  290  (second  highest  hen  in  contest  of  1.000  layers),  169,  218,  199,  158,  192,  218,  178  and  222,  with  24 
"out  eggs",  the  latter  meaning  eggs  laid  during  the  year  by  this  pen,  but  not  in  trapnests.  Picture  happens  to 
be  of  the  fourth  highest  pen  in  contest.  The  first  highest  laid  2,212  eggs,  an  average  of  221  eggs  per  hen; 
the  second  highest,  2,172  eggs,  an  average  of  217  eggs  per  hen.    Record  of  third  highest  pen  was  not  available. 

52.4;  January  12-18,  54;  January  19-25,  53.2;  January  26- 
February  1,  59.5;  February  2-8,  57.3;  February  9-15,  54.1; 
February  16-22,  56.3;  February  23-March  1,  52.4;  March 
2-8,  53.4;  March  9-15,  51.4;  March  16-22,  48.6;  March  23- 
March  30,  53.4. 

Mr.  Wilson,  the  other  general  farmer  referred  to  by 
Mr.  Aubry,  who  kept  200  S.  C.  White  Leghorn  pullets, 
obtained  the  following  production,  September  1,  1918,  to 
Aipril   1,  1919 — lights  turned  on  September  1st: 

September  1-7,  5;  September  8-14,  8;  September  15-21, 
12;  September  22-28,  20;  September  29-October  5,  25;  Oc- 
tober 6-12,  32;  October  13-19,  31.5;  October  20-26,  30.3; 
October  27-November  2,  30;  November  3-9,  35.3;  Novem- 
ber 10-16,  43.2;  November  17-23,  47.1;  November  24-30, 
54.3;  December  1-7,  57;  December  8-14,  62;  December 
15-21,  61.2;  December  22-28,  56.1;  December  29-January  4, 
51.3;  January  5-11,  56.1;  January  12-18,  58.1;  January  19-25, 
63;  January  26-February  1,  68;  February  2-8,  61.2;  Feb- 
ruary 9-15,  62;  February  16-22,  61.5;  February  23-March  1, 
58;  March  2-8,  56;  March  9-15,  53;  March  16-22,  54.1; 
March  23-30,  52.3. 

Said  Mr.  Aubry,  in  conclusion: 

"It  is  but  right  to  state  that  in  New  Jersey  this  past 
fall  and  winter,  I  have  known  of  only  one  case  in  which 
there  was  disappointment  in  the  use  of  lights.  In  that 
case  everything  was  going  fine  until  the  owner  of  the 
flock  decided  if  'more  light'  was  good,  then  still  more 
ought  to  be  better,  so  the  hens  were  keipt  at  work  or  off 
the  roosts  for  about  eighteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty- 
four,  with  the  result  that  pretty  soon  they  went  all  to 
pieces,  so  far  as  production  was  concerned.  Twelve  to 
fifteen  hours  per  day  appears  to  be  all  the  birds  will 
stand  and  do  well,  judging  by  prolonged  tests  and  re- 
ports in  this  state  to  date." 

reprinted    from    the    July,    1919, 


General  Lecture  on  Great  Benefits  of  Use  of  Artificial  Lights 


IMPRESSIVE  AND  CONCLUSIVE  LECTURE  BY  PROF.  JAS.  E.  RICE  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  STATE 
COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE,  AS  DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE  SECOND  ANNUAL  JUDGING  AND 
BREEDING  SCHOOL,  CORNELL  UNIVERSITY,  WEEK  OF  JULY  7-12,  1919— DESCRIBES  THIS  METHOD, 
THIS  DISCOVERY,  AS  BEING  "SENSATIONAL,"  IN  FACT  "REVOLUTIONARY"  AS  REGARDS 
BENEFITS  TO  POULTRYMEN  FROM  INCREASE  IN  EGG  PRODUCTION  DURING  FALL 
AND  WINTER  MONTHS  WHEN  HENS  "WITHOUT  LIGHTS"  LAY  BUT  POORLY,  THE 
RESULT  BEING  THAT  NEW-LAID  EGGS  THEN  ARE  HIGH  IN  PRICE— "NOTHING  MAR- 
VELOUS ABOUT  IT"  SO  STATES  PROF.  RICE  —  PRESENTS  TABLES  COVERING  CAREFULLY 
MADE     TESTS      AT     COLLEGE      EXPERIMENT     STATION      DURING     YEAR       1918 


B)  JAS.  E.  RICE,  Profti 


of  Poultry  Huihandry,  Nc-w  York  State  College  of  Agricultu 
C„r«ell  Um'versity,  Ithaca.  N.  Y 


THIS  Judging  and  Breeding  School  is  held  annuallj 
by  the  Poultry  Department  of  the  New  York 
State  College  of  Agriculture,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  which 
is  conducted  as  part  of  Cornell  University.  The 
School  is  attended  by  poultry  instructors  and  investi- 
gators from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  by 
poultry  extension  workers  in  different  states  and  by  other 
students  of  poultry  culture,  all  branches.  The  subject^  of 
Prof.  Rice's  address  was,  "The  Influence  of  Illumination 
On  The  Characters  Indicating  Laying  Capacity  of  Fowls," 
but  in  this  first  effort  he  did  not  reach  that  subject, 
so  deepljr  interested  was  he  in  the  whole  proposition.  At 
a  later  session  of  the  School  he  handled  particularly  the 
subject  here  stated — see  page  83  of  this  book.  It  was  in 
connection  with  this  ad- 
dress that  Prof.  Rice  'Used 
the  ten  charts  that  are 
reproduced  in  colors  on 
pages  6  to  IS  inclusive, 
herewith.  Accompany- 
ing report  was  made  by 
editor  of  R.  P.  J.  and 
published  in  the  Reliable' 
Poultry  Journal  of  date, 
October  1919.  Speaking 
without  notes  and  treat- 
ing of  the  general  use  of 
"lights,"  Prof.  Rice  said, 
in  substance: 

"Here  we  come  to  one 
of  the  most  important  of 
all  methods  in  securing 
egg  production.  Of  first 
consideration  is  the  en- 
vironment of  the  birds 
as  prospective  layers. 
We  must  house,  feed  and 
care  for  them  in  such 
manner  that  they  can  re- 
life  "to  spond  in  the  form  of  lib- 
present  eral  production.  Next, 
is  control,  by  which  is 
meant  so  to  treat  or  han- 
dle the  layers  that  we  can 
get  eggs  when  we  want  them^ — that  is,  at  times  when  they 
will  be  of  most  value  to  us. 

"Heretofore  we  have  depended  on  the  time  of  hatch- 
ing, method  of  feeding,  style  of  houses,  etc.,  to  increase 
egg  production  in  the  fall  and  winter  or  during  the  pe- 
riod •f  natural  scarcity  in  this  northern  latitude,  hence 
the  period  of  high  prices;  but  in  these  efforts  we  have 
met  with  only  moderate  results.  For  many  years  I  have 
felt  that  if  we  could  give  our  fowls  what  may  be  called 
hothouse  conditions,  as  used  for  examiple  by  the  florist, 
we  could  get  eggs  any  time  we  want  them — any  time  of 
the  year.  Lately,  two  great  contributions  have  been  made 
to  the  method  of  securing  more  profitable  egg  produc- 
tion. One  is  the  successful  culling  out  of  nonlayers  and 
poor  layers  from  our  flocks  by  the  use  of  external  char- 
acters and  physical  examination;  the  other  is  by  the  use 
of  artificial  illumination  to  increase  the  length  of  day 
during  which  the  would-be  layers,  the  ready-to-lay  birds, 
can  function  and  produce. 

"The  principles  involved  in  our  use  of  artificial  illum- 
ination are  not  mysterious.  On  the  contrary,  they  are 
quite    self-evident   and    easy    to   understand.      For    exam- 


JAS.  E.  RICE,   ITHACA,  N.  T. 
Professor      of     Poultry     Husbandry, 


voted   the    act 
Poultry  Cultu 

"  ■         "  .  "  "   Prof, 

Rice   has    done   much   for    the   Poultry 
Industry,  all  branches. 


pie,  it  is  easy  to  realize  that  the  domestic  hen,  when  kept 
in  this  locality,  meaning  central  or  northern  New  York, 
is  out  of  her  natural  habitat  and  she  is  held  here  in  what 
amounts  to  captivity.  This  fact  hardly  needs  discussion. 
We  know  that  the  original  domestic  fowl  was  a  native  of 
the  tropical  zone  and  climate.  For  centuries,  for  ages, 
she  was  accustomed  to  practically  a  twelve-hour  day  and 
a  twelve-hour  night,  on  the  average.  These  birds,  having 
been  developed  under  those  conditions  possessed  organs 
that  were  based  on  at  least  twelve  hours  of  daylight, 
meaning  in  particular  their  digestive  organs.  Man  picked 
up  these  fowls  and  carried  them  north  to  points  like 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  where  during  five  or  six  months  of  the 
year  they  have,  on  the  average,  a  nine-hour  day  and  a 
fifteen-hour  night,  also  vice  versa. 

"When  brought  north,  these  fowls  were  limited  in 
choice  as  to  what  to  do.  About  the  only  chance  they  had 
was  to  go  on  functioning  the  best  they  could  and,  as  time 
passed,  to  adjust  themselves  slowly  to  the  changed  con- 
ditions of  climate,  length  of  day,  etc.  Such  adaptations 
mean  slow  progress.  Springtime  breeding  was  continued, 
with  little  or  no  attention  to  winter  ^gg  production.  These 
birds  from  the  south  simply  adopted  new  habits,  but  did 
not  change  their  physical  form.  When  winter  arrived, 
with  the  long  cold  nights,  they  tucked  their  heads  under 
their  wings  and  ceased  to  lay  till  spring  came  with  its 
longer  days  and  warmer  weather.  They  just  hibernated 
or  practically  so,  and  waited  for  more  favorable  conditions. 

"First — and  until  recently — man  relied  mainly  on  feed- 
ing and  special  breeding  to  get  these  hens  to  lay  in  the 
fall  and  winter.  Good  housing  and  proper  feeding  will 
help,  also  breeding  for  egg  production,  based  on  vigor, 
high  individual  records,  etc.,  but  the  response  to  all  these 
efforts  was  not  enough — did  not  make  the  keeping  of 
layer-flocks  on  a  commercial  basis  a  (profitable  venture 
during  the  short-day  period  of  the  year,  from  September 
1st  to  the  following  March  1st,  taking  the  North  Temper- 
ate Zone  as  a  whole. 

"Are  Astonishing"  and  "Truly  Revolutionary" 

"Now  we  come  to  this  recent  use  of  artificial  lights 
to  lengthen  the  workday  of  the  hen  or  to  equalize  her 
time  of  work  and  time  of  rest  in  each  twenty-four  hours 
and  the  results  are  astonishing — are  truly  revolutionary. 
They  promise  great  things  for  the  poultry  industry  on 
commercial  lines  and  may  well  cause  the  speculators  in 
storage  eggs  to  'sit  up  and  take  notice,'  to  use  a  common 
expression.  Not  only  are  commercial  plants  to  be  greatly 
helped,  but  the  benefits  of  this  use  of  artificial  illumination 
apply  proportionately  to  farm  flocks  kept  for  egg  pro- 
duction and  can  be  utilized  in  the  small  back-yard  plant 
where  a  main  object  is  to  secure  a  liberal  yield  for  the 
family  table  in  the  season  of  high  prices.  These  re- 
markable results,  however,  need  to  be  approached  with  a 
degree  of  caution,  especially  by  investigators  who  are  re- 
lied on  for  constructive  facts  and  sound  advice.  What 
this  remarkable  innovation  may  do  in  the  case  of  the 
breeding  values  of  our  best  birds,  remains  to  be  demon- 
strated. In  other  words,  we  have  here  a  breeding  prob- 
lem as  well  as  one  of  quantity  of  illumination  and  in- 
creased egg  production." 

At  this  point  Prof.  Rice  exhibited  a  series  of  ten 
charts,  all  in  colors  and  each  representing  the  yearly  egg 
production  of  twenty-five  S.  C.  White  Leghorns.  "Two  of 
the  charts  represented  "check  pens,"  so  he  explained— a 
check  pen  of  yearling  hens  and  a  check  pen  of  pullets. 
On   these   two   check   pens    no   artificial    light    was    used. 


GENERAL  LECTURE  ON  GREAT  BENEFITS  OF  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTS 


79 


Next  he  directed  attention  to  four  charts  that  represented 
four  pens  of  hens,  and  later  he  described  the  other  four 
charts,  which  represented  the  egg  production  of  four 
ipens  of  pullets. 

In  the  case  of  the  eight  pens,  lights  were  used  dur- 
ing the  egg-production  season  of  1917-1919,  starting  Octo- 
ber 1st  and  continuing  twelve  months.  Some  pens  were 
given  twelve  hours  of  light  during  the  short-day  period, 
made  up  of  dajdight  and  a  limited  amount  of  artificial 
light;  others  had  fifteen  hours  of  light  in  the  short-day 
period,  made  up  of  daylight  and  a  considerable  amount 
of  electric  light,  while  still  others  had  only  nine  hours  of 
light  in  the  short-day  period  and  fifteen  hours  of  night. 

In  every  case,  both  as  regards  hens  and  pullets,  the 
birds  "under  lights,"  meaning  those  helped  out  by  arti- 
ficial light,  laid  better  during  October,  November,  De- 
cem'ber,  January  and  February  than  did  the  "no  light" 
check  pens,  and  the  lighted  pens  in  every  case  also  laid 
more  eggs  during  the  following  August  and  September 
— at  the  end  of  the  test  year,  which  is  another  period  when 
new-laid  eggs  are  scarce  and  therefore  bring  consider- 
ably higher  prices  than  during  the  flush  egg  season,  rep- 
resented 'by  March,  April,  May  and  June  of  each  year. 
Said  Prof.  Rice,  in  substance: 

May   Hatched   Leghorns 

"If  our  birds  are  hatched  too  early  in  the  spring  they 
will  begin  to  lay  in  the  fall  and  often  go  into  a  late-fall 
or  early-winter  molt.  This  means  that  they  will  stop  laying 
in  the  period  of  high  prices,  which  is'  not  what  is  desired. 
May-hatched  chicks  appear  to  do  best  in  this  section  of 
New  York  State — in  this  latitude  and  climate — 'under 
lights,'  as  demonstrated  by  our  experiments  to  date.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  pullets  are  hatched  too  late,  the  fall 
and  winter  months  will  find  them  not  matured — with  not 
enough  surplus  fat  stored  up  in  their  bodies — therefore 
they  will  hold  off  laying  till  the  period  of  high  prices  goes 
by. 

"The  remarkable  results  obtained  by  the  use  of  'lights' 
means,  therefore,  that  we  need  to  revise  some  of  our 
plans  and  theories,  because  here  is  a  successful  'accelera- 
tor,' so  to  speak,  by  the  use  of  which  we  can  accomplish 
surprising  results  not  only  in  the  way  of  increased  egg 
production,  but  in  bringing  along  to  maturity  late-hatch-; 
«d  birds,  though  not  those  that  are  hatched  too  late.  Our 
hirds,  if  they  are  to  be  placed  'under  lights,'  must  have 
time  to  reach  the  age  of  production  in  good  form  and 
vigor,  doing  this  before  the  season  of  high  prices  for  new- 
laid  eggs  is  at  hand. 

"In  all  our  work  along  this  line,  let  us  not  overlook 
the  fact  that  the  natural  functioning  conditions  of  the 
•domestic  fowl  are  equatorial,  so  to  speak — are  based  sub- 
stantially on  at  least  twelve  hours  of  daylight  for  every 
twelve  hours  of  darkness  and  rest.  Judging  by  reports  to 
date,  it  appears  that  when  we  depart  very  far  from  this 
twelve-hour  workday  during  the  fall  and  winter  months  in 
northern  latitudes,  we  interfere  with  heavy  production 
or  the  health  of  the  birds,  or  with  both.  But  to  date  we 
liave  these  gains  to  consider:  first,  a  remarkable  in- 
crease in  egg  production  during  the  short-day  period  of 
the  year  in  northern  latitudes;  second,  the  remarkable 
growth  we  can  secure  by  the  use  of  lights  in  the  case  of 
immature  pullets  which,  if  not  given  the  benefit  of  'lights,' 
would  not  lay  for  us  in  the  late  fall  and  early  winter 
but  would  go  through  the  winter  idle  and  be  a  heavy 
charge  in  the  feeding  bills.  This  has  been  proved  con- 
clusively here  at  Cornell,  also  by  practical,  successful 
poultrymen  throughout  New  York  State. 

"The  actual  results  shown  on  these  charts  prove  that 
the  use  of  artificial  lighting  within  reasonable  limits'  and 
on  an  economical  basis,  pays  at  both  ends  of  the  laying 
year — during  the  two  seasons  when  new-laid  eggs  bring 
the  most  money.  In  other  words,  we  are  able  "by  this 
means  to  play  both  ends  against  the  middle,  to  use  a 
liomely  but  graphic  expression.  It  is  a  case  of  robbing 
Peter  to  pay  Paul,  but  we  have  robbed  Peter  of  low- 
priced  eggs  during  the  flush  season  of  the  year,  March 
to  June  inclusive,  and  have  paid  Paul  in  high-priced  eggs 
— eggs  laid  in  excess  amounts  by  our  pullets  and  hens 
■'under  lights,'  from  October  1st  to  March  1st  and  from 
August  1st  following,  to  the  end  of  September.  These 
charts  show  that  the  birds  'under  lights'  laid  somewhat 
fewer  eggs  during  March,  April,  May  and  June  than  did 
their  competitors  'under  lights,'  but  the  difference  in  the 


number  of  eggs  laid  by  the  birds  'under  lights'  brought  a 
good  deal  more  money,   on  account  of  the  higher  prices 
at  the  timie  they  responded  so  well  to  'lights.' 
Right    Length    of    Lighted    Workday 

"By  the  use  of  artificial  illumination  we  avoid  the 
mass  production  during  the  spring  months — the  period 
of  low  prices,  and  are  able  to  spread  production  over  the 
year,  especially  in  the  fall  and  winter  months,  or  at  both 
ends  of  what  we  may  call  the  laying  year.  By  March  1st 
the  birds  not  under  lights  have  a  chance  to  catch  up  with 
those  under  lights.  On  March  21st  we  have  an  equa- 
torial day,  so  to  speak,  in  this  latitude,  meaning  twelve 
hours  of  daylight  and  twelve  hours  of  darkness.  On  the 
other  hand,  December  21st  represents  our  shortest  day 
of  the  year,  and  our  domestic  fowl  have  been  producing 
eggs  accordingly,  as  regards  the  amount  of  daylight,  with 
surprising  fidelity.  When  the  nights  and  days  are  equal, 
with  the  odds  in  favor  of  excess  daylight^— meaning  more 
than  twelve  hours — these  birds  are  functioning  to  best 
advantage — are  traveling  on  an  easy  grade  or  level,  and 
with  the  ease  that  an  automobile  does." 

Question  from  audience:  "By  turning  on  the  'lights' 
can  we  send  them  up  hill  'on  high'?" 

Prof.  Rice  continuing:  "Yes,  and  I  am  glad  you  asked 
that  question.  By  use  of  artificial  illumination  IN  EX- 
CESS we  can  also  force  the  hens  to  climb  the  hill  'on 
high,'  but  this  no  doubt  will  be  to  her  detriment.  We 
already  have  learned  that  illumination  in  this  field  must 
be  used  with  intelligence.  We  can  overlight  our  fowls, 
j'Ust  as  we  can  overfeed  them.  This,  for  example,  is  where 
the  two  eggs  a  day  comes  in.  It  is  possible  to  force  hens 
in  such  manner  that  special  individuals  will  lay  an  egg 
the  first  thing  or  early  in  the  morning  and  again  shortly 
before  they  are  forced  to  bed  by  'lights  out.'  But  in  ev- 
ery case  of  this  kind  I  have  heard  of  the  birds,  under 
such  treatment,   have  broken   down. 

"In  a  few  instances  owners  of  fowls  who  have  tried 
artificial  lighting  were  so  well  pleased  with  the  profitable 
results  from  the  reasonable  use  of  this  method,  that  they 
decided  that  if  a  little  of  it  was  a  good  thing,  more  of  it 
would  be  better.  In  two  or  three  cases  they  have  gone 
so  far  as  to  try  eighteen  hours  of  light,  including  daylight, 
leaving  only  six  hours  of  darkness  for  rest  and  recupera- 
tion. In  every  such  case  that  I  have  heard  about  the  re- 
sults have  been  decidedly  disastrous.  Thus  far,  a  twelve 
to  foiurteen-hour  workday  appears  to  he  safe  and  profit- 
able— the  most  profitable,  I  will  put  it. 

"And  let  me  say  at  this  ipoint  that  we  believe  lights, 


WHERE    MANY   CORNELL   LIGHTING    TESTS   WERE    MADE 


of  tile  Administration 

when  used  with  judgment,  not  only  will  distribute  eggs 
across  the  year  to  our  financial  advantage,  but  that  the 
use  of  these  lights  is  also  plainly  to  the  physical  advan- 
tage of  the  layers.  The  lighting  seems  to  give  them  what 
they  want — what  is  natural  for  them^ — that  is,  an  equa- 
torial day  or  approximately  so,  with  twelve  to  fourteen 
hours  for  feeding,  digestion,  assimilation,  body  mainte- 
nance and  egg  manufacture.     Where  lights  are  used  with 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


reason  the  birds  seem  to  be  in  better  health  than  with- 
out lights  and  these  charts  and  tables  show  you  to  what 
better  advantage  they  lay,  as  tested  by  the  pre-war  market 
value  of  their  eggs  at  the  time  they  produced  them."  (See 
two  tables  herewith,  one  ^.showing  a  comparison  on  the 
basis  of  pre-war  prices;  the  other  a  comparison  of  market 
prices  f.  o.  b.  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  at  the  time,  week  for  week, 
that  these  eggs  actually  were  produced. — Ed.) 
Rule  That  Works  Both  Ways 

Next,  Prof.  Rice  displayed  two  lighting  charts  of  even 
greater  interest.  One  showed  the  effects  of  "cutting  off 
the  lights  suddenly."  In  this  case  the  birds  were  given 
artificial  lights  on  the  twelve-hour  basis  for  a  number  of 
weeks,  then  without  warning  the  lights  were  taken  away, 
throwing  the  b'irds  back  on  an  eight  or  nine-hour  workday, 
the  rest  of  the  twenty-four  hours  being  spent  by  them  on 
the  roosts  because  of  darkness.  Going  a  step  farther,  af- 
ter these  same  fowls  had  thus  been  treated  to  a  sudden 
test  of  the  short,  natural  day  in  midwinter,  they  were 
again  "given  the  lights"  and  the  other  of  these  two  charts 
showed  the  result  of  this  experiment. 

"Here,  indeed,  is  a  remarkable  showing.  Back  in 
"school  when  we  were  studying  arithmetic,  the  teacher 
used  to  insist  that  we  must  prove  each  problem.  That  is 
what  we  have  aimed  to  do  in  these  two  experiments.  It  is 
a  poor  rule  that  will  not  work  both  ways.  If  the  use  of 
lights  brought  on  this  remarkable  increase  in  egg  produc- 
tion, all  other  factors  being  identical  or  practically  so, 
then  the  taking  away  of  the  lights  should  have  a  contrary 
effect — and  surely  it  did!  By  Chart  No.  I  of  these  two 
you  will  note  that  when  the  lights  were  shut  off,  the  egg 
production  of  this  pen,  which  was  so  remarkably  high 
for  that  season  of  the  year,  quickly  dropped  off  to  prac- 
tically nothing — did  this  within  three  or  four  days. 


HEN  WITH  RECORD  OF  1231  EGGS 
The  question  has  been  asked:  How  many  eggs  can  a  well- 
bred  domestic  hen  lay  in  a  lifetime  ?  No  one  has  yet  found 
out.  Each  time  a  new  world-record  is  established  some  other 
hen  comes  along  and  excels  it.  The  1231-egg  hen  illustrated 
above  is  No.  3477  Cornell  University. 

"Next  we  gave  _  these  same  birds  the  lights  again, 
doing  so  after  a  period  of  about  two  weeks  and  you  will 
note  that  they  began  promptly  to  respond  again.  Notice 
here  by  Chart  No.  II  that  they  did  not  get  all  the  way 
back,  as  reo'ards  high  percentage  of  production,  but  that 
they  did  wonderfully  well— did  far  better  than  the  check 
pens  that  were  not  under  lights.  This  sudden  shutting 
off  of  the  lights  undoubtedly  meant  a  tremendous  physi- 
cal shock.  These  birds  had  adapted  themselves  to  condi- 
tions that  were  nearer  right  for  them.  Then  suddenly 
we  changed  those  conditions.  Nevertheless,  when  again 
given  the  lights  they  responded  nobly;  therefore  it  may 
be  said  that  we  tried  'both  ways'  and  in  each  case  obtain- 
ed the  same  logical  results.* 

combined  into  one  in 


"My  friends,  this  use  of  artificial  illumination  surely 
comes  the  nearest  to  giving  us  ACTUAL  CONTROL  OF 
EGG  PRODUCTION  of  anything  we  have  found  to  date. 
We  just  press  a  button,  turn  on  the  lights  and  they  re- 
spond immediately,  or  practically  so.  Many  tests  in  wide- 
ly separated  sections  of  the  country  and  throughout  New 
York  State  show  that  largely  increased  egg  yield  may  be 
looked  for  .WITH  CERTAINTY  in  about  ten  days  to  two 
weeks  after  the  lights  are  turned  on;  that  if  the  birds  are 
of  the  average  quality  and  in  fair  condition  to  lay,  as  to 
maturity,  health,  vigor,  etc.,  you  can  look  for  at  least 
double  the  production  you  otherwise  would  obtain  during 
this  high-price  period  for  fresh-laid  eggs." 

Believes  Temperature  Also  Is  Important 

Question  from  the  audience:  "What  value  do  you  at- 
tach to  the  matter  of  temperature?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "I  believe  that  temperature  is  a  very  im- 
portant factor.  That  is  another  matter  we  shall  need  to 
test-  in  connection  with  this  new,  this  revolutionary,  de- 
velopment in  egg  production  and  seasonal  distribution. 
However,  when  a  hen  has  plenty  of  exercise  she  will,  of 
her  own  efforts,  keep  comfortably  warm  and  in  -a  condi- 
tion to  produce  well.  Exercise  is  a  remarkable  source 
of  body  heat  in  all  animals.  Try  it  yourself  by  hustling 
around  in  a  cold  room.  Soon  you  will  think  you  are  too 
warm,  where  previously  you  may  have  been  complaining 
of  the  cold.  But  in  this  matter  of  temiperature,  where 
maximum  egg  yield  is  sought,  we  again  must  imitate 
spring  conditions  by  inducing  exercise  or  by  employing 
some  other  means.  The  best  results  in  practice  from  a 
combination  of  lights  and  moderate  temperature,  is  an- 
o  her  problem  now  asking  for  solution." 

Next,  Prof.  Rice  displayed  charts  showing  the  daily 
egg  production  of  three  lots  of  pullets,  "throughout  the 
year"  which  demonstrated  the  fact  that  by  having  the 
benefit  of  "lights"  these  birds  were  able  to  reach  the  limit 
of  ege  production  two,  three  and  four  months  AHEAD  of 
.  the  normal  time  of  year  for  the  vicinity  of  Ithaca,  N.  Y., 
thus  producing  a  much  larger  percentage  of  eggs  in  the 
high-price  period.     Said  Prof.  Rice,  on  this  point: 

"By  a  merely  casual  study  of  this  chart  one  observes 
that  the  effect  of  the  lights  was  to  enable  these  average- 
quality  pullets  to  lift  a  large  part  of  their  production 
from  the  low-price  period  of  the  three  spring  months  oyer 
to  the  high-price  or  higher-price  period  of  the  preceding 
fall  and  winter,  and  they  did  it  without  a  bit  of  injury 
to  themselves. 

"Furthermore,  this  chart  shows  clearly  by  the  color 
scheme  that  by  turning  on  the  lights  you  enable  your  birds 
to  function  naturally  in  that  short-day  period  of  the  year, 
so  that  the  individual  birds  which  have  the  inherent  ca- 
pacity and  power  to  lay  200  eggs  in  their  first  year  of 
production  will  have  the  chance  equally  to  be  200-eggers! 
In  other  words,  by  this  discovery  the  poultryman  is  now 
'coming  into  his  own'  by  giving  his  hens  the  chance  to 
do  what  they  want  to  do— to  do  what  they  can  do  and 
will  cheerfully  do,  if  given  the  opportunity." 
Extra  Cost  of  Feed  and  Lights 

Question  from  the  audience:  "How  about  the  extra 
cost   of  feed?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "Our  own  experiments,  also  the  reports 
we  have  received  from  practical  poultrymen  throughout 
New  York  State,  make  it  perfectly  clear  that  where  lights 
are  used  the  increased  cost  of  feed  is  but  a  small  item. 
By  this  statement  I  mean  that,  when  taken  across  the 
year,  or  during  the  whole  period  of  iprofitable  egg  produc- 
tion, whether  it  be  twelve  months  or  ten  months  or  less, 
the  increase  in  the  cost  of  feed  scarcely  exists  at  all.  We 
know,  as  the  result  of  other  research  work,  that  the 
great  bulk  of  feed  at  that  time  of  the  year,  fully  eighty- 
five  per  cent,  goes  to  body  maintenance;  therefore  the 
small  amount  needed  as  surplus  for  egg  production  is  not 
an  important  or  costly  item.  But  the  main  point  to  be 
considered  is  this:  that  the  hens  'under  lights'  eat  some- 
what larger  quantities  of  feed  during  the  period  of  high- 
priced  eggs,  while  they  are  producing  eggs  liberally,  where- 
as their  competitors  not  'under  lights'  will  eat  an  excess 
amount  of  feed,  in  limited  degree,  during  the  low-price 
period,  at  which  time  THEY  are  producing  liberally. 
Ihis  means  that  the  advantage,  even  in  regard  to  cost  of 
feed,  is  decidedly  with  the  birds  'under  lights,'  when  we 
look  at  the  matter  from  the  financial  side,  embracing  the 
entire  season  of  profitable  egg  production. 


GENERAL   LECTURE   ON    BENEFITS   OF   USE    OF   ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTS 


81 


"Also  we  have  the  question  of  the  cost  of  lights. 
Fact  is,  you  can  hardly  figure  this  small  additional  cost, 
either  when  you  use  the  individual  hen  as  a  unit  on  a 
monthly  basis,  or  a  dozen  eggs.  In  order  to  have  some- 
thing to  figure  on  satisfactorily  in  finding  this  cost,  you 
need  to  use  a  pen  of  fowls  with  twenty-five  to  one  hun- 
dred inmates,  and  then  you  may  just  as  well  cover  a  five 
or  six-month  period  or  the  entire  season.  By  reference 
to  this  chart  and  table  (displaying  new  chart)  you  will 
see  that  it  cost  Cornell  University  $1.98  to  furnish  elec- 
tric lights  791  hours.  This  cost  would  provide  light  for 
twenty-five  to  fifty  hens  from  November  28th  to  the  fol- 
lowing May  ISth,  giving  them  a  workday  of  fifteen 
hours,  from  6  a.  m.  to  9  p.  m.  each  day.  Also  note  here 
(again  referring  to  chart)  that  it  cost  $1.51  to  furnish  602 
hours  of  electric  light;  that  it  cost  6S  cents  to  furnish  259 
hours  of  electric  light,  and  that  it  cost  47  cents  to  fur- 
nish 189  hours  of  electric  light.  In  each  case  fifty  birds 
could  have  been  accommodated  in  each  pen,  for  the  pe- 
riod stated — from  November  28th  to  May  ISth  following, 
giving  them  ten  to  fifteen  hours  of  light  (daylight  in- 
cluded), or  practically  that  amount." 

Question  from  audience:  "What  about  forced  molt- 
ing?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "As  before  stated,  too  much  light  will 
overdo  it  and  cause  a  breakdown.  We  have  had  two  or 
three  reports  to  that  effect.  Also  the  use  of  too  much 
light  will  bring  on  an  early  molt,  to  the  detriment  of  egg 
production.     In  all  cases  the  hens  or  pullets  must  be  in 


At  this  point  Prof.  Rice  exhibited  a  chart  entitled,  "In- 
fluence  of   Artificial    Light    on    Production    and    Profits," 

which     is     repro- 

duced  herewith 
in  tabulated  form 
—see  Table  No. 
1.  This  table 
shows  fifty  pul- 
lets and  fifty 
hens,  all  S.  C. 
White  Leghorns. 
The  test  was  for 
a  period  of  forty- 
eight  weeks  in 
twelve  four-week 
periods,  begin- 
ning November 
28,  1917-Decem- 
ber  25,  1917,  and 
continuing  until 
October  29th  in- 
clusive, 1918. 
O  n  e  -  h  a  1  f  the 
number  of  pullets 
were  illuminated, 
also  one-half  the 
number  of  hens, 
while  the  remain- 
ing fifty  per  cent 
of  pullets  and 
hens  were  not  il- 
luminated. In  this  experiment  no  artificial  light  was  given 
in  the  morning;  the  lights  were  turned  on  in  the  late 
afternoon,  just  before  twilight  and  were  kept  on  until 
9  p.  m. 

By  reference  to  the  two  tables  (Tables  1  and  2)  it  will 


WHITE    WYANDOTTE— RECORD 

EGGS 
Photo   from    Stori'S   Experiment    Stat: 


INFLUENCE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  ON  PRODUCTION  AND  PROFITS 


100   (50  Pullets,  50  Hens) 
III.— Illumination.  Weeks  in 

Pet. — Percentage. 
N.  A  .L.— No  Artificial  Light. 
Artificial  Light,  Twilight  to  9  P.   M 


Oct.  29,  1918 


4   Week 

Periods 

Pet.  Egg  Yield, 

Pet.  Egg  Yield, 


Pre-War  Pri( 


44.2 
25.2 
*19.0 
*44.3 


Value,  111 *$11.17   *$29.61   *$15.60      *$4,6a 


51.5  40.0  39.5  35.2 

57.8  56.0  45.4  40.2 

—6.3      — 16.0        — 5.9        — 5.0 
-14.7     —37.3      —13.7     —11.6 

25c  23c  25c  28o 

-$3.68  —$8.58  —$3.43  —$3.25 


-Loss. 
Total    gains 
Total   losses 


Difference     135.37 


TABLE  No.   1 — Showing  benefits  of  the  use  of 
9  p.  m.   during   a  period   of   forty-eight   consecutive   wi 
(both  lots   S.  C.  White  Leghorns,    Cornell   strain)    tha 
were  not    "under  lights".     This  table    '"      --    •     ■ 
that  the   "lighted 


lights"   on  50  pullets  < 

:s — practically   a   year- 

-ere  of   the  same  flock 

based  on   the  pre-war    price 

birds  laid  best  from  November 


elusive,  which  is  the  high-price  period,  while  in  this  test  the  honlighted  birds  laid 
the  entire  period  the  100  birds  "under  lights"  laid  135.37  dozen  more  eggs  than  did 
into  cash  showed  a  net  gain  in  favor  of  the  lighted  birds  of  $71.88,  or  practically  82  c 
nonlighted  birds'  "earned  their  keep"    by  their  production. 


Difference     $71.88 

nd  50  hens  given  artificial  illumination  from  daylight  until 
-as  compared  with  an  equal  number  of  pullets  and  hens 
and  quality  and  that  received  the  same  care  and  feed,  but 
1,  f.o.b.  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  obtainable  for  eggs  in  each  four 
March  19  inclusive,   also  from  August  7  to  October  29  in- 


March  20  to  Angus 
aonlighted  competitors,  which  eggs  converted 
)er  bird,   all  of  which  was  profit,   in   case   the 


a  right  condition  to  start  to  lay,  then  if  the  lights  are  used 
with  judgment,  on  the  equatorial  plan  or  basis — meaning 
not  to  exceed  fourteen  hours  of  work  to  ten  hours  of  rest 
— they  will  respond  in  ten  to  fifteen  days  and  the  aver- 
age run  of  birds,  as  to  quality,  will  'stand  up  under  the 
work'  and  continue  to  lay  well  throughout  the  year.  Not 
only  will  they  do  this  during  the  period  of  high  prices  at 
both  ends  of  the  year,"  as  before  explained,  but  these 
same  pullets  and  hens,  as  is  being  demonstrated  by  this 
year's  experiments  at  Cornell  and  elsewhere,  will  lay  al- 
most as  well  during  the  flush  season  as  their  mates  that 
did  not  have  the  benefit  of  artificial  illumination. 

"In  other  words,  our  experiments  thus  far  seem  to 
indicate  clearly  that  the  birds  'under  lights'  are  really 
healthier,  suffer  less  mortality  and  function  better  across 
the  year  than  do  those  that  have  to  go  through  a  period 
of  privation  during  the  time  of  long  and  cold  winter  nights, 
lasting  four  or  five  months.  By  giving  them  the  lights  it 
appears  that  we  partially  restore  natural  conditions  in  a 
way  and  to  an  extent  that  is  truly  a  benefit  to  them  in  all 
respects,  unless  we  overdo  it." 


be  noted  that  the  birds  "under  lights,"  in  the  first  four- 
week  period  froin  November  28th  to  December  25th  gave 
an  egg  production  of  21.4  per  cent,  as  compared  with  12 
per  cent  from  the  birds  not  "under  lights";  that  the  birds 
"under  lights"  gave  a  production  of  42.2  from  December 
26th  to  January  22nd  inclusive,  as  compared  with  14  per 
cent  from  the  nonlighted  birds;  that  from  January  23rd 
to  February  19th  the  birds  "under  .lights"  gave  a  yield  of 
44.2  per  cent,  as  compared  with  25.2  from  the  same  number 
and  quality  of  birds  not  under  lights  but  fed  and  cared  for 
the  same  way,  etc.,  etc. 

Next,  it  will  be  noted  that  in  this  test  the  birds  NOT 
under  lights  laid  somewhat  more  eggs,  as  expressed  in 
percentage  and  dozens,  from  March  20th  to  August  7th, 
but  that  after  August  7th — from  that  date  until  October 
29th,  the  birds  UNDER  LIGHT.'?  did  decidedly  better  than 
those  not  under  lights.  To  be  exact,  the  birds  under  lights 
gave  a  20.4  per  cent  production  September  4th-October  1st 
inclusive,  as  compared  with  a  yield  of  10.1  per  cent  from 
the  birds  not  under  lights,  and  the  lighted  birds,  Octo- 
ber 2nd  to  October  29th  inclusive,  yielded  19.3  per  cent  pro- 


82 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


duction,    as    compared   with    only   5.5   per    cent    from   the 
check  pen  not  under  lights. 

In  making  up  this  table  (Table  No.  1  herewith)  Prof. 
Rice  used  the  "pre-war  prices  per  dozen,  thus  to  make 
the  figures  seem  more  reasonable,"as  he  expressed  it.  Yet 
on  this  basis  the  hens  under  lights  earned  an  excess 
profit  of  $71.88,  as  compared  with  their  competitors  not 
under  lights,  doing  this  by  laying  135.37  dozen  MORE 
EGGS  in  the  forty-eight  weeks  than  did  an  equal  num- 
ber of  birds  of  the  same  quality  not  under  lights,  and  they 
laid  these  excess  eggs  DURING  the  high-price  periods. 

The  attentive  and  earnest  reader  will  be  interested  to 
know  that  the  ACTUAL  market  prices  for  new-laid, 
white-shelled  eggs  f.  o.  b.  Ithaca  for  this  period,  Novem- 
ber 28,  1917,  to  October  29,  1918,  were  as  follows: 

November  28-December   25 69  cents 

December  26-January  22 71  cents 

January   23-February    19 59  cents 

February  20-March  19 43  cents 

March  20-April  16 38  cents 

April  17-May  14 39  cents 

May  IS-June   11 43  cents 


duced  by  the  use  of  feeds  paid  for  at  war-time  prices, 
we  have  made  up  a  companion  table  to  the  one  prepared 
by  Prof.  Rice  (Table  No.  2  herewith),  using  the  actual  f. 
o.  b.  Ithaca  prices  for  the  twelve  months,  thus  to  give  both 
lots  of  pullets  and  hens  (the  lighted  and  not-lighted)  full 
credit  for  what  they  actually  did,  doing  this  in  the  shape 
of  financial  returns.  We  asked  Prof.  Rice  if  to  do  this 
would  not  be  fair,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  and  he  replied  that  it 
would,  but  that  the  astonishing  difference  in  returns  on 
that  basis  mi.Tht  cause  the  average  person  to  expect  too 
much.  However,  with  the  explanation  here  given,  we  feel 
there  can  be  no  real  danger  along  that  line.  Attention, 
therefore,  is  directed  to  Table  No.  2  herewith,  for  exam- 
ination in  connection  with  Table  No.  1,  both  being  en- 
titled "Influence  of  Artificial  iLight  on  Production  and 
Profits." 

But  to  get  back  to  our  report  of  the  School.  At  this 
time  Prof.  Rice  looked  at  his  watch,  found  that  he  had 
used  up  the  time  allotted  to  him  on  the  program  and  re- 
marked, with  a  smile: 

"Must  confess  that  I  have  NOT  YET  reached  my 
subject,  'The  Influence  of  Illumination  on  the  Characters 


INFLUENCE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  ON  PRODUCTION  AND  PROFITS 


100   (50  Pullets, 
111. — Illumination . 
Pot. — Percentage. 
N.  A.  L. — No   Artificial  Light, 
Artificial  Light,  Twilight  to  £ 


Twelve 
4-Week 

Pet.  Egg  Yield.   Ill 

Pet.    Egg   Yield   N.  A.  L 

Gain  or  loss  in  Pet.  Ill 

Gain  or  loss  in  doz.,  Ill 

Pre-War   Price   per   Dozen 

Gain   or  Loss   in   Value,    111.. 


*65.8        *44.3        *15.6      — 14.7     —37.3 

71c  59c  43c  38c  39c 

*$46.72    *$26.14      *$6.71  —$5.50— $14.55 


39.5  S5.2 

45.4  40.2 

— 5.9  — 5.0 

—13.7  — 11.6 


36.0 

36.1 

— .1 

.23 


*9.1 
61c 
*$5.55 


20.4  19.8 

10.1  5.5 

*10.3  *13.8 

*24.0  *32.2 

66c  82e 

*$15.84  *$26.4U 


•Gain 


Difference 


.135.37 


Difference 


..$110.74 


TABLE  No.  2- Which  is  the  same  as  Table  No.  1  herewith,  except  that  in  this  table  the  eggs  produced  by  both  the  lighted  and 
nonlighted  birds  are  treated  as  being  sold  at  current  prices  obtainable  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  during  the  48  weeks  that  thes«  eggs  were  pro- 
duced, said  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  prices  being  2  cents  per  dozen  for  each  period  under  the  New  York  City  prices,  this  difference  being  deducted 
to  take  care  of  the  commission  merchants'  charge,  also  the  expressage  on  the  eggs  and  the  return  cost  for  getting  the  egg  cases  back  to 
Ithaca.  This  is  the  basis  on  which  the  Poultry  Department  of  Cornell  University  estimates  the  value  of  eggs  produced  on  the  College 
plant.  New-laid  eggs  treated  in  this  way  are  equivalent  to  cash.  The  current  cost  of  grain  and  other  poultry  feeds  during  this  48-week 
period  was  charged  at  the  actual  prices  paid  for  same,  meaning  war  prices,  therefore,  it  is  fair  to  give  these  fowls,  both  the  lighted  and 
the  nonlighted  pens,  credit  on  the  same  basis  for  the  eggs  they  laid — -that  is,  the  prices  that  actually  were  obtainable  for  them  during  the 
twelve  four-week  periods,  when  these  eggs  were  produced.  See  article  herewith  for  further  information  about  this  test.  Note  that  on  this 
basis  the   "lighted"   birds  earned  $1.10  each  more  per  head   than  did  the  nonlighted  fowls. 


June    12-July   9 48  cents 

July  10-August  6 55  cents 

August  7-September  3 61  cents 

September  4-October  1 66  cents 

October  2-October  29 82  cents 

By  "f.  o.  b.  Ithaca,"  is  meant  that  the  New  York 
prices  (so  Prof.  Rice  informed  us)  were  2  cents  per  dozen 
higher  than  the  above  throughout  the  year  here  covered. 
This  two  cents  represents  the  commission  on  eggs  sent 
from  Ithaca  to  the  New  York  market,  plus  express 
charges  and  the  return  charge  on  the  empty  egg  cases. 

Ill  \iew  of  the  fact  that  these  identical  eggs  were  pro- 


Indicating  the  Laying  Capacity  of  Fowls';  (Applause) 
therefore  I  must  take  my  chance  on  getting  in  later  with 
that  somewhere  else,  on  the  full  program  we  have.  Please 
accept  my  apology.  As  you  can  readily  judge,  I  am  deep- 
ly interested  in  this  subject — and  I  notice  that  you  are! 
One  could  not  ask  better  attention  than  I  have  received  and 
the  same  has  been  true  of  every  other  speaker  thus  far. 
No  one  can  doubt  the  earnestness  or  interest  of  this  con- 
vention and  I  believe  this  spirit  of  keen  interest  will  con- 
tinue throughout  the  week." 

(Note:   This  article  is  reprinted  from   the  October   1919  issue  of 


WHAT  THESE  LITTLE  THREE  TO  FOUR-POUND    "EGG  FACTORIES"    CAN  DO  ACROSS  THE  YEARS 
Illustration  above  is  of  "Queen  Utana",  a  remarkable  five-year  egg  producer  who,  during  her  first  laying  year,  produced  195  eggs: 
second  year,  193;  third  year,  138;  fourth  year,  161;  and  fifth  year,  129   eggs,   making  a  total  of  816  eggs  in  five  laying  years.     Was  bred 
and  owned  by  the  Utnli  Agricultural  College,  Logan,  Utah.     Eggs  in  baskets   i-epresent    this    little   hen's    actual    production    during   the    five 
years.      No    "lights"   were  used  in  this  case. 


Influence  of  "Illumination"  on  Eg^  Production  "Characters' 


IN  THIS  CASE  EGGS  FROM  "LIGHTED"  PENS  HATCHED  BETTER— RECORDS  ARE  HERE  GIVEN 
OF  TESTS  MADE  AT  CORNELL  UNIVERSITY  FROM  NOV.  4,  1918,  TO  JUNE  15,  1919— "LIGHTS  ON" 
FROM  3:00  A.  M.  TILL  DAW^N  PRODUCED  WONDERFUL  RESULTS  IN  THE  CASE  OF  BOTH  HENS  AND 
PULLETS-TRIED  A  "MIDNIGHT  LUNCH"  WITH  GOOD  RESULTS— VALUABLE  EFFECT  OF  LIGHTING 
ON  LATB-MOLTING  HENS— "LIGHTING"  IS  AN  "ACCELERATOR,"  BUT  DOES  NOT  COUNTER- 
ACT     CHARACTERS     WHICH      INDICATE       THE     LAYING     CAPACITY     OF    FOWLS 


B,  J  AS.  E.  RICE,  Profc! 


r  of  Poultry  Husbandry,  New  York  Stale  College  of  Agricultur, 
Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 


THE  subject  of  this  address  by  Prof.  Rice  was,  "The 
Influence  of  Illumination  on  the  Characters  Indi- 
cating the  Laying  Capacity  of  Fowls."  As  stated 
on  page  78  of  this  book,  Prof.  Rice  delivered  two  addresses 
■on  the  lighting  problem  before  the  Judging  School,  July  7- 
12,  1919,  one  of  a  general  nature  on  the  subject  of  the  use 
of  artificial  light  to  increase  egg  production,  the  other  be- 
ing reported  herewith. 

To  illustrate  the  present  subject,  Prof.  Rice  presented 
a  table  showing  the  results  to  June  15,  1919,  of  the  lat- 
•est  illumination  tests  at  Cornell,  which  were  started  No- 
vember 4,  1918  (table,  in  two  parts,  is  reproduced  here- 
with), and  also  showed  several  charts  in  colors  (not  pre- 
viously exhibited)  which  indicated  clearly  that  by  plac- 
ing the  birds  under  illumination  we  simply  "set  the  clock 
ahead,"  so  to  speak,  in  the  sense  that  their  growth  is  ac- 
celerated, if  they  have  been  backward  in  that  respect, 
while  if  they  are  ready  to  lay  the  "lights"  start  them  at 
it  without  loss  of  time,  almost  regardless  of  weather  con- 
ditions, and  thereafter  their  production  or  nonproduction, 
as  regards  eggs,  can  be  determined  by  external  charac- 
ters and  physical  examination,  EXACTLY  as  though  the 
■owner  or  observer  were  to  wait  two,  three  or  four  months 
later  until  spring  conditions  exist  and  the  longer  sun- 
light days  have  acted  in  the  usual  way  for  a  northern 
climate,  in  bringing  on  egg  production. 

In  other  words,  AS  SOON  as  these  birds  "under 
lights"  BEGIN  TO  LAY,  the  yellow  pigment  starts  to 
disappear  and  follows  the  same  course  it  would  "without 
lights"  two  or  three  months  later,  or  during  the  early 
spring — disappearing  first  around  the  vent,  then  from  the 
«ye  ring,  next  from  the  base  of  the  beak,  etc.  Also  if  egg 
production  ceases  with  any  individual  hen,  no  matter  for 
■what  reason,  the  yellow  pigmentation  returns,  first  around 
the  vent,  then  in  the  eye  ring,  next  at  the  base  of  the  beak, 
€tc.  The  other  external  characters  respond  proportion- 
ately under  lights,  and  without  unusual  delay.  Actual 
egg  production  is  the  governing  factor.  The  vent  will  be- 
come moist,  the  skin  more  pliable,  the  pelvic  bones  spread 
apart,  the  comb  becomes  full  and  warmer  to  the  touch, 
etc.  Likewise  this  "speeding  up"  of  egg  production,  as  a 
result  of  longer  workdays  in  the  late  fall  and  winter,  will 
bring  on  the  molt  somewhat  earlier,  as  a  rule.  After  the 
■different  hens  have  "laid  themselves  out,"  so  to  speak, 
according  to  their  individual  power  or  capacity,  they 
cease  laying  and  this  generally  brings  on  molting,  either 
partially  or  a  full  molt. 

Colored  charts  exhibited  by  Prof.  Rice  showed  a  de- 
cided correlation  of  these  several  points,  including  actual 
egg  production,  with  earlier  changes  of  external  charac- 
ters, earlier  molting  of  the  individual  birds,  etc.  He  also 
spoke  at  some  length  about  the  "Fertility  and  Hatchabil- 
ity  of  Eggs  Produced  Under  Lights,"  in  connection  with 
these  1919  tests  and  exhibited  tables  that  showed  some  sur- 
prising records.  Referring  to  this  particular  phase  of  the 
subject,  he  said,  in  substance: 


"Perhaps  I  ought  not  give  out  this  information  at 
present,  for  fear  it  may  prove  misleading.  It  takes  more 
than  one  swallow  to  make  a  summer  and  we  do  not  as  yet 
have  the  data  to  justify  us  in  drawing  conclusions  in  re- 
gard to  this  very  important  matter,  let  alone  proclaiming 
any  positive  or  definite  correlation.  On  the  other  hand, 
this  information  is  of  such  vital  interest  that  I  felt  you 
should  have  it,  with  these  WORDS  OF  CAUTION  as  to 
the  very  limited  amount  of  data  on  which  it  is  based.  If 
this  one  test  proves  to  be  the  rule,  rather  than  an  excep- 
tion, we  have  here  something  of  great  value;  of  that  we 
may  be  sure.  Perhaps  it  is  true  and  dependable,  but  we 
cannot  be  sure  of  that  until  we  have  ample  confirmation." 

The  foregoing  timely  and  earnest  remarks  by  Prof. 
Rice  were  meant  to  apply  particularly  to  a  special  table 
of  figures  he  exhibited,  showing  the  influence  of  artificial 
illumination  on  the  fertility  and  hatchability  (especially 
the  latter)  of  eg^  laid  by  certain  S.  C.  White  Leghorns 
kept  under  lights  in  tests  started  November  4,  1918,  and 
continued  to  June  IS,  1919,  and  thereafter. 

Eggs  From  "Lighted"  Pens  Hatched  Better 

Briefly  stated,  eggs  were  incubated  from  ten  test  pens 
"under  lights"  and  these  results  developed:  The  eggs  from 
the  check  pen  of  hens  not  under  lights  produced  SI  per 
cent  in  live,  strong  chicks,  while  the  pen  that  had  lights 
from  3  a.  m.  each  day  during  the  period  until  dawn,  gave 
S6  per  cent  in  good,  lively  chicks.  In  the  case  of  pullets, 
the  check  pen  not  under  lights  produced  S6  per  cent  in 
good  chicks,  while  the  pen  of  pullets  that  were  given  the 
lights  from  3  a.  m.  until  dawn  each  day  during  the  period 
produced  75  per  cent  in  satisfactory  chicks.  The  other 
pens  "under  lights"  for  different  hours  (morning  or  eve- 
ning, one  or  both)  and  in  different  amounts,  did  quite 
well  in  hatchability,  but  not  equal  to  the  pen  of 
hens  and  the  pens  of  pullets  that  had  the  lights 
from  3  a.  m.  until  dawn.  It  appears  that  in  this  particu- 
lar case  (see  results  given  further  along  in  this  report) 
the  birds,  both  hens  and  pullets,  that  were  under  the 
lights  from  3  a.  m.  until  dawn,  not  only  laid  the  most 
eggs,  throughout  the  test  period,  but  also  laid  eggs  thai 
were  highest  in  hatchability— that  gave  the  greatest  per- 
centage of  good,  strong  chicks. 

The  foregoing  advance  information  is  given  some- 
what out  of  order  in  this  report,  so  as  to  dispose  of  it  and 
get  to  the  main  facts  of  the  subject,  as  handled  by  Prof. 
Rice.  After  warning  his  hearers  not  to  be  misled,  or  to  base 
hasty  conclusions  on  one  experiment,  he  exhibited  the 
table  herewith  reproduced  entitled  "Total  Egg  Production 
of  Hens  in  Illumination  Test,  From  November  4,  1918,  to 
June  IS,  1919,"  as  conducted  at  Cornell  University,  Ithaca. 
N.  Y.  The  remarks  of  special  caution,  as  made  by  Prof. 
Rice,  apply  only  to  the  percentages  given  by  him  on  com- 
parative "Fertility  and  Hatchability"  and  not  to  the  ac- 
tual EGG  YIELD  secured  to  June  15,  with  and  without 
ligLts. 

The  special  attention  of  R.  P.  J.  readers  is  directed 
to  this  table.  The  results  there  shown  are  REMARK- 
ABLE  INDEED.     Eleven  pens  are   shown,   five  of  hens 


84 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


and  six  of  pullets.  All  pens  at  the  start  each  contained 
twenty-five  birds  and  Prof.  Rice  told  us  that  they  were 
"reject  birds" — as  a  matter  of  fact,  were  hens  and  pullets 
that  ordinarily  they  sell  on  the  market  for  table  use.  They 
were  birds  that  were  left  on  hand  after  they  had  picked  out 
everything  they  wanted  for  other  experiments,  including 
a  surplus  for  replacements.  Other  years  these  "left-overs" 
would  have  been  sold  on  the  local  market,  but  last  fall 
they  were  kept  to  be  placed  "under  lights,"  in  order  to 
learn  what  the  effects  would  be. 

Readers  who  are  especially  interested  in  the  use  of 
artificial  illumination  to  increase  fall  and  winter  egg  pro- 
duction will  note  by  reference  to  these  tables  that  there 
was   a   check   pen    of   hens    and   a   check   pen   of   pullets. 


iti 


21     Hens  Check   Pen 

No  Illumination 
13  Hens  5  A.  M.  to  7  P.M. 
23  Hens  3  A.  M.  to  Dawn 
26     Hens  9  P.M. 

19     Hens     3  A.  M.  to  9  P.  M. 


205 


111  260  908  1576 

274  473  807  1232 

503  763  1189  1675 

244  360  604  977 

282  467  782  1068 


July  Molt 

15  Hens      9  P.M. 

August  Molt 

16  Hens       9  P.  M. 

October  Molt 

17  Hens 9   P.  M. 


325  427  521  709  850 
441  578  784  1132  1536 
300        470        639      1033      1406 


Total  Egg  Prodnction  of  Hens  in  lUumlnation  Test  From  November  4 
1918,  to-  June  15,  1919 

This  table  relating  to  HENS,  and  the  accompanving  one  relating 
to  PULLETS,  were  furnished  by  the  Poultry  Department  of  the  New 
York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  Uniyersity,  Ithaca  N  Y 
They  show  late  results  (down  to  June  15,  1919)  of  the  remarkable 
benefits  of  the  use  of  artificial  light  to  increase  egg  production  dur- 
ing the  short-day  season  of  the  year,  in  this  case  from  November  4 
1918,  to  June  15,  1919.  Pen  No.  21  is  the  "check  pen",  no  artificial 
light  being  used  with  this  pen.  Compare  the  low  production  of  that 
pen  with  the  high  production  of  pens  13,  23  and  26.  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  the  best  results  were  obtained  where  the  hens  were  given 
"lights"  from  3  a.  m.  till  dawn,  without  any  artificial  light  being 
used  at  night  or  during  the  evenings.  Also  note  in  particular  pens  15, 
16  and  17.  Hens  recently  molted  were  in  these  pens  and  "lights 
were  given  them  in  the  evening,  up  to  9  p.  m.  in  each  case  In  all 
three  cases  their  production  was  much  in  excess  of  the  nonli^hted 
check  pen,   Pen  No.  21.  ° 

These  two  pens  did  not  have  the  benefit  of  any  artificial 
light.  The  other  nine  pens,  however,  had  lights  in  varying 
amounts.  Pen  No.  13  of  hens,  for  example,  and  Pen  No. 
12  of  pullets,  had  the  lights  turned  on  at  5  a.  m.  and  again 
in  the  afternoon  until  7  p.  m.,  whereas  Pen  No.  23  of  hens 
and  Pen  No.  22  of  pullets  had  the  light  turned  on  at  3  a. 
m.,  with  no  help  of  this  kind  in  the  afternoon  or  evening. 
Notice  the  astonishing  results,  especially  in  the  case  of 
both  hens  and  pullets  where  the  lights  were  turned  on  at 
3  a.  m.  and  kept  on  until  dawn.  Compare  the  egg  produc- 
tion of  these  lighted  birds,  both  the  hens  and  pullets,  for 
EACH  PERIOD  of  time  for  laying  with  the  "check  pen" 
of  hens  and  pullets  respectively.  To  emphasize  this  im- 
portant, timely  and  truly  astonishing  information  we  make 
the  comparison  here,  as  follows: 

HENS— ^Hens  in  check  pen,  November  4  to  December 
25— laid  55  eggs.  Same  number  of  hens,  under  lights  3  a. 
m.  to  dawn,  same  period — laid  305  eggs. 

Hens  in  check  pen,  December  26  to  January  20,  in- 
clusive— laid  111  eggs.  Same  number  of  hens,  under  light, 
same  period — laid  503  eggs. 

Hens  in  check  pen,  January  21  to  February  23  inclu- 
sive— laid  260  eggs.  Same  number  of  hens,  under  lights, 
same  period — laid  763  eggs. 

Hens  in  check  pen,  February  24  to  April  20  inclusive 
— laid  908  eggs.  Same  number  of  hens,  under  lights,  same 
period — laid  1189  eggs. 

PULLETS— Pullets  in  check  pen,  November  24  to 
December  25 — laid  151  eggs.  Same  number  of  pullets,  un- 
der lights,  3  a.  m.  to  dawn,  same  period — laid  450  eggs. 

Pullets  in  check  pen,  December  26  to  January  20  in- 
clusive— laid  263  eggs.  Same  number  of  pullets  under 
light,  same  period — laid  769  eggs. 

Pullets  in  check  pen,  January  21   to   February  23  in- 


clusive—laid  48S    eggs.      Same   number    of   pullets    under 
light,  same  period — laid  1112  eggs. 

Pullets  in  check  pen  February  24  to  April  20  inclusive 
— laid  1163  eggs.  Same  number  of  pullets  under  lights, 
same  period — laid  1622  eggs. 

If  we  may  judge  safely  by  this  experiment,  it  would 
appear  that  putting  the  lights  on  at  3  a.  m.  each  m.ornin:^, 
September  first  to  the  following  March,  first,  each  sea- 
son, should  give  the  best  results.  However,  in  this  matter 
also  Prof.  Rice  advised  caution.  Said  he,  in  substance: 
"A  Remarkable,  A  Revolutionary  Discoverjr" 

"Here  we  have  a  remarkable,  a  revolutionary  discov- 
ery or  advancement  in  poultry  culture.  If  it  is  as  good  as 
it  seems,  and  I  believe  that  it  is,  we  can  afford  to  pro- 
ceed carefully,  within  reason.  Such  results  as  these  hens 
and  pullets  have  given  us  under  lights — especially  where 
the  lights  were  turned  on  at  3  a.  m.,  are  absolutely  aston- 
ishing. They  seem  'too  good  to  be  true,'  and  yet  this 
table  is  accurate,  these  results  are  ACTUAL,  and  I  think 
you  will  agree  with  me  in  the  use  of  the  word  'revolu- 
tionary' in  describing  such  remarkable  production.  What 
the  results  might  have  been  if  these  fowls  had  been  truly 
high  producers,  consisting  of  birds  bred-in-line  for  .pro- 
lific egg  yield,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  Naturally  we 
ought  not  expect  more  than  one  egg  a  day  per  hen,  hence 
the  financial  benefit  to  the  average  poultryman  in  the  use 
of  lights  will  be  greater  per  bird  from  average  layers 
and  moderately  good  layers  than  from  the  really  high- 
production  individuals.  Yet  no  doubt  by  'lighting'  our 
birds  during  the  short-day  period  of  each  season  we  can 
get  the  maximum  supply  of  eg'gs  two,  three  or  four  months 
earlier,  as  compared  with  past  achievement  and  these  ex- 
cess eggs  in  the  fall  and  early  winter  will  bring  us  twice 
the  amount  in  cash,  which  to  date  has  been  about  the 
general  rule,  where  lights  have  been  used  with  average 
judgment.  But  as  I  said  before,  let  us  be  careful  not  to 
draw  wrong  conclusions  in  this  matter  of  the  use  of  illum- 
ination.    It  is  not  yet  time  for  final  conclusions. 


Pullets  No    Illumination  0  151 

Pullets  5  A.  M,  to  7  P.  M.  3  401 

Pullets  3  A.  M'.  to  Dawn  0  450 

Pullets  9  P.  M.  3  ~420 

Pullets  3  A.  M.  to  9  P.  M.  0  353 

Night  Feed 

Pullets  8  ;30  P.M.  to  9  P.M.  1  236 


HP        H>^         eipH  H<!  Hi^ 

151        263        485  1163  1652 

401        540        774  1258  1616 

450        769      1113  1622  2127 

901  1437  1911 

795  1257  1756 


372 


724      1417 


1845 


Total  Egg  Production  of  PuEets  in  Illumination  Test  From  November 
4,  1918,  to  June  IS,  1919 
This  table,  relating  to  PULLETS,  and  the  accompanying  one,  re- 
lating to  HENS,  were  furnished  by  the  Poultry  Department  of  New 
York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 
They  show  late  results  (down  to  June  15,  1919)  of  the  remark.ible 
benefits  of  the  use  of  artificial  light  to  increase  egg  production  dur- 
ing the  short-day  season  of  the  year,  in  this  case  from  November  4, 
1918,  to  June  15,  1919.  Pen  No.  20  is  the  "check  pen",  no  arti- 
ficial light  being  used  with  this  pen.  Compare  the  low  production  of 
that  pen  with  the  high  production  of  Pens  13,  22,  24  and  18,  espe- 
cially with  Pen  No.  22,  where  the  lights  were  turned  on  at  3  a.  m. 
and  left  on  until  dawn,  no  artificial  light  in  this  case  being  used  at 
night  or  during  evenings.  Also  note  particularly  Pen  No.  14.  In 
this  case  the  pullets  were  given  what  was  styled  a  "night  feed" — 
that  is,  the  lights  were  turned  on  at  8:30  p.  m.  and  turned  off  at  9 
p.  m.,  giving  these  birds  "thirty  minutes  at  the  lunch  table",  as 
Prof.  Rice  expressed  it.  Compare  the  production  of  this  pen  with 
"check  pen"  No.  20,  which  was  not  illuminated,  either  morning  or 
night.  The  increase  is  substantial,  straight  through  the  period,  yet 
Prof.  Rice  told  the  Judging  School  at  Cornell,  July  7-12,  1919,  that 
in  his  opinion  the  half  hour  was  not  enough;  that  probably  these  birds 
would   have    made    a    considerably    better    showing    if    the    lights   had 

"The  question  of  a  resting  period  for  our  high  produc- 
ers— either  birds  bred-to-lay  or  those  enabled  t"o  function 
earlier  or  more  rapidly  under  lights — has  been  brought 
up  here  for  discussion.  It  appears  that  by  the  use  of  lights 
we  can  give  our  birds  this  rest  period,  at  least  in  large  de- 
gree, during  the  season  of  low  prices  for  eggs.  Our  rec- 
ords here  at  Cornell  thus  far  are  illuminating  in  that  re- 
spect. As  I  pointed  out  to  you  the  other  day  in  connec- 
tion with  the  first  set  of  colored  charts,  those*  tests  in  1917- 
1918  showed  that  we  got  largely  increased  production  in 
the  fall  and  winter  months;  then  the  birds  under  lights 
let  up  a  little,  quite  a  little  in  the  number  of  eggs,  though 
they  were  low-priced  eggs.  This  was  during  the  flush  sea- 
son— March  to  July  inclusive;  then  they  came  on  agair^ 
comparatively  strong  in  August,  September  and  October 
when  the  nonlighted  birds  were  in  the  molt  or  on  a  strike 


INFLUENCE   OF   "ILLUMINATION"  ON  EGG  PRODUCTION  "CHARACTERS' 


85 


and  when  the  market  prices  of   eggs  were  again   rapidly 
on    the   upgrade. 

"As  regards  the  number  of  hours  that  may  be  the  most 
productive  as  a  workday  for  our  hens,  that  is  a  matter 
still  to  be  determined.  The  results  from  birds  this  past 
season  here  at  Cornell,  both  in  the  case  of  hens  and  pul- 
lets, with  lights  turned  on  at  3  a.  m.  and  not  used  at  all 
in  the  afternoon  or  at  night,  were  truly  sensational;  but 
perhaps  this  is  not  the  best  plan  after  all.  There  may  be 
some  other  equally  good  or  better  com'bination.  It  re- 
mains for  us  to  find  out  by  test — by  a  sufficient  number 
of  tests — to  make  sure,  and  under  varying  conditions. 
Moreover,  different  classes  of  poultrymen  or  poultry  keep- 
ers have  different  requirements.  We  think  that  the  farmer, 
for  example,  as  the  owner  of  a  commercial  flock  kept  for 
egg  production,  would  prefer  a  morning  and  evening  com- 
bination, or  perhaps  we  might  call  it  'the  farmer's  combi- 
nation.' How  convenient  it  would  be  for  him  if  we  should 
find  by  repeated  tests  that  when  the  short  days  come  he 
can  start  his  lamps,  or  snap  on  the  lights,  when  he  starts 
to  do  the  evening  chores  and  then  the  next  morning  can 
repeat  this  when  he  goes  out  with  his  lantern  to  do  the 
morning  chores.     While  these  chores  are  being  done  and 


21     Hens  Check  Pen  0  55        111       260       908     1576 

No  Illumination 
15      Hens  July    Molt  2        325        427        521        709        850 


Hen 


August  Molt 
9  P.M. 

October  Molt 
9  P.  M. 


441        578        784      1132      1535 
300        470        639      1033      1406 


Egg  Production  of  July,  August  and  October  Molters  Under  Illumlna- 
tiou  From  November  4,  1918,  to  June  15,  1919 
This  table,  in  part,  is  a  reproduction  of  the  table  on  page  84, 
entitled,  "Total  Egg  Production  of  Hens  in  Illumination  Test 
Prom  November  4,  1918,  to  June  15,  1919."  Pens  Nos.  21,  15,  16 
and  17  are  here  reproduced  from  that  table,  for  the  convenience  of 
our  readers.  Pen  No.  21  is  the  "check  pen"  and  pens  Nos.  15,  16 
and  17  are  the  three  in  which  hens  that  had  been  in  molt  or  were  in 
molt  were  placed.  Studying  this  table  the  reader  will  conclude  that  by 
November  4th  the  hens  that  went  into  molt  during  July  were  pretty 
well  along  in  the  molt,  or  entirely  out  of  it.  With  that  fact  in  mind, 
note  the  production  of  this  pen  as  compared  with  "check  pen"  No. 
21.  In  the  case  of  hens  that  molt  in  August  it  will  be  observed  that 
placing  lights  on  them  appeared  to  bring  them  along  rapidly,  so  that 
their  production  actually  was  greater  than  that  of  the  birds  that 
molted  in  July — "early  molters"  these  July  birds  would  be  called 
and  inferior  as  -layers,  as  a  rule,  on  account  of  poor  breeding  or 
failure  to  inherit  egg  production  capacity  and  ability.  As  early  as 
November  4th,  when  this  lighting  test  was  started,  the  birds  in  Pen 
17,  consisting  of  "late  molters"  that  did  not  drop  their  feathers  until 
October,  had  only  been  in  the  molt  a  short  time,  yet  under  the  helpful 
effect  of  the  lights  they  quickly  came  back,  produced  eggs  far  ahead 
of  the  "check  pen",  and  by  January  had  passed  the  July  molters, 
which  lead  they  maintained  with  a  wide  margin — a  highly  profitable 
margin — straight  through  to  the  end  of  the  test,  or  to  June  15th 
inclusive. 

the  housewife  is  getting  breakfast  he  can  put  the  hens 
to  work,  doing  so  with  very  little  extra  la'bor,  yet  with  a 
decided  increase  in  egg  yield  and  in  cash  receipts  from 
that  source." 

Question  from  audience:  "Did  your  last  year's  ex- 
periments confirm  the  advantage  of  3  a.  m.  lighting,  with 
no  artificial  illumination  at  night?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "We  did  not  try  that  particular  applica- 
tion of  lights  last  season,  but  used  other  combinations.  To 
date  this  3  a.  m.  lighting,  with  no  artificial  help  at  night 
has  given  us  the  most  sensational  yield,  both  from  h^ns 
and  pullets." 

Gave  One  Pen  "A  Midnight  Lunch" 

Referring  again  to  the  table  reproduced  herewith, 
giving  the  egg  yield  of  the  five  pens  of  hens  and  the  six 
pens  of  pullets,  November  4,  1918,  to  June  IS,  1919,  Prof. 
Rice  said,  in  substance: 

"Observe  next  the  effect  of  what  we  called  a  night 
feed  or  'midnight  lunch'  given  one  pen  of  pullets — pen  No. 
14.  Here  we  tried  the  experiment  of  a  thirty-minute  feed- 
ing time  each  evening  for  the  period  from  8:30  to  9  p.  m. 
Compare  the  results  with  the  check  pen  of  pullets.  The 
increase  really  is  noteworthy,  but  not  equal  to  the  pen  of 
pullets  that  had  lights  from  3  a.  m.  until  dawn.  Appar- 
ently the  thirty-minute  period  at  the  'lunch  counter'  did 
not  give  these  pullets  sufficient  time  to  fill  their  crops  and 
thus  iplace  themselves  on  a  par  with  other  pens  that  had 


a  longer  workday.  We  are  curious  to  know  how  this 
would  have  panned  out  if  we  had  given  them  an  hour  for 
an  extra  feed  each  evening,  in  place  of  the  thirty  minutes. 
That  is  another  point  to  he  cleared  up.  If  one  hour  of 
extra  feeding  time  each  evening  or  night  will  give  us  a 
maximum  yield,  or  practically  so,  this  may  be  the  right 
combination  of  daylight  and  artificial  light  to  adopt,  on  a 
commercial  basis." 

"Lightmg"  Test  on  Hens  in  Molt 

"Next,  I  direct  your  attention  to  another  table  which 
shows  some  of  the  effects  of  artificial  lights  on  hens  that 
have  molted.  In  this  case  (see  table  herewith,  entitled 
'Egg  Production  of  July,  August  and  October  Molters 
Under  Illumination,'  November  4,  1918,  to  June  15,  1919) 
we  placed  the  lights  on  three  pens  of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns, 
each  pen  containing  twenty-five  birds,  omitting  the  lights 
in  the  morning  but  keeping  them  on  until  9  every  evening. 
In  one  pen  were  birds  that  had  molted  in  July;  in  another, 
birds  that  had  molted  in  August  and  in  the  third  pen  were 
truly  late  molters — those  that  did  not  go  into  the  molt  un- 
til October. 

"Now  compare  the  results  here  (pointing  to  the  table) 
and  you  will  note  that  the  July  molters  were  benefited 
most  and  that  the  October  molters  were  the  least  benefit- 
ed of  the  three  lots.  It  is  easy  to  offer  an  explanation,  other 
things  being  equal.  The  July  and  August  molters  both 
had  a  good  period  of  rest  from  the  time  they  started  to 
molt  until  the  lights  were  turned  on  them  November  4th, 
whereas  the  October  molters  had  only  three,  four  or  five 
weeks  of  rest — five  weeks  at  most. 

"This  would  appear  to  'throw  light'  on  the  question 
of  how  long  hens  should  _be  allowed  to  rest  during  the 
molting  period.  We  believe  that  we  can  overdo  the 
amount  of  illumination,  as  in  the  case  of  the  eighteen- 
hour  workday  previously  referred  to,  and  it  would  appear 
also  that  we  can  put  the  lights  on  hens  in  molt  too  soon. 
This  just  illustrates  another  side  of  the  revolutionary  char- 
acter of  the  use  of  artificial  illumination.  It  not  only 
will  accelerate  molting,  but  it  also  may  start  the  molting 
hens  back  into  production  before  they  are  ready,  in  which 
case  we  invite  a  breakdown  and  disaster. 

"Before  leaving  this  table  that  shows  the  actual  pro- 
duction of  the  three  pens  of  molters,  you  no  doubt  will 
want  to  compare  their  yield  with  that  of  the  hens  which 
were  not  under  light,  as  sho^vn  on  the  other  table.  Even 
the  October  molters,  with  only  a  short  period  of  rest,  gave 
an  egg  yield,  December  2Sth  to  the  following  March  1st, 
greatly  in  excess  of  the  check  pen  of  hens  not  under  lights." 

Question  from  audience:  "What  kind  of  lights  give 
best  results?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "Judging  by  reports  we  have  received  from 
users  of  lights  all  over  the  state,  electric  lights  are  the 
most  convenient,  but  gasoline  lanterns  also  are  very  pop- 
ular. They  give  a  brilliant  light  and  users  of  them  se- 
cure results  equal  to  the  best  obtained  by  the  use  of  elec- 
tricity. _  On  the  other  hand,  electricity  obviously  is  more 
convenient." 

Question  from  audience:  "How  about  the  cost  of 
lighting?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "You  can  scarcely  figure  it,  it  is  so  small 
per  hen  or  per  dozen  eggs.  Also  the  difference  in  the' 
amount  of  feed  consumed,  when  figured  across  the  yjar 
is  practically  negligible.  'By  the  use  of  lights  we  simply 
transfer  the  eggs  from  a  low  to  a  high-price  period  and, 
as  a  rule,  feed  is  cheaper  in  the  fall  than  during  the  fol- 
lowing spring  and  summer.  Across  the  year,  or  taking 
a  period  of  eight,  ten  or  twelve  months,  the  birds  under 
lights  will  eat  no  more  fhan  those  not  under  lights,  other 
things  being  equal  as  to  breed,  size  of  birds,  etc.  We  need 
to  bear  in  mind  that  65  per  cent  of  the  contents  of  the 
egg  is  water,  therefore  the  actual  extra  food  required  is 
reduced  to  a  small  factor. 

Convenient  Hours  for  "Lighting" 

"Before  we  turn  away  from  this  table  that  shows 
total  egg  production  of  pens  under  illumination  here  at 
Cornell  the  past  season  (November  4,  1918,  to  June  15, 
1919)  let  us  not  fail  to  observe  how  well  the  pullets  did, 
as  compared  with  the  check  pen  of  pullets  which  received 
no  artificial  light  IN  THE  MORNING,  but  had  the  ben- 
efit of  it  in  the  evening  until  9  p.  m.  This  is  pen  No.  24 
of  pullets.  You  will  note  that  for  the  first  period  they 
laid   420   eggs    as    compared   with    151    eggs    laid    by    the 


% 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


check  pen;  that  for  the  second  period  they  laid  619  eggs, 
IS  compared  with  263  eggs  laid  by  the  unlighted  birds; 
that  for  the  third  period  they  laid  901  eggs,  as  compared 
with  485  laid  by  the  check  pen  of  pullets  not  under  lights. 
"Perhaps  in  many  cases  this  EVENING  LIGHTING, 
from  early  twilight  until  early  bedtime,  will  suit  the  poul- 
tryman  better,  including  the  back-lotters;  but  putting  on 
the  lights  at  3  a.  m.  has  the  advantage  of  not  having  the 
worry  of  shutting  them  off  at  any  exact  time,  because  the 
coming  of  dawn  or  daylight  will  merge  the  artificial  day 
into  the  natural  day.  On  the  other  hand  not  many  poul- 
trymen,  unless  I  am  much  mistaken,  will  relish  the  idea 
of  getting  out  of  bed  at  3  a.  m.  to  light  the  lantern  or 
lanterns,  though  if  electricity  is  available  it  can  be  snap- 
ped on  very  easily,  or  can  be  turned  on  by  some  automatic 
device.  All  these  experiments  are  very  inviting  and  each 
before  long  will  find  a  satisfactory  solution.  The  real 
BIG  THING  is  our  discovery  and  demonstration  of  what 
a  lengthening  of  the  workday  WILL  DO  in  the  way  of 
increased  egg  production  during  the  annual  season  of 
scarcity  and  consequent  high  prices.  Here  is  a  great  boon 
to  us  poultrymen,  also  to  all  mankind,  especially  in  north- 
ern latitudes.  IT  APPEARS  TO  BE  ONE  OF  THE 
MOST  FORTUNATE  THINGS  THAT  HAS  HAPPEN- 
ED TO  US  THUS  FAR  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT 
OF  THE  POULTRY  INDUSTRY." 

Question  from  audience:  "Did  you  find  that  the 
'speeding  up'  under  lights,  increased  mortality?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "On  the  contrary,  the  OPPOSITE  ap- 
pears to  be  true.  It  seems  as  though  the  longer  day  for 
feeding,  exercising  and  functioning  is  of  real  benefit  to 
these  fowls  'under  lights';  that  they  are  healthier,  more 
active  and  freer  from  ailments  and  disease.  This  ought 
to  be  so,  in  order  for  them  to  keep  up  bodily  maintenance 
and  lay  an  extra  number  of  eggs,  and  our  observations 
are  to  the  effect  that  it  is  so." 

Question  from  audience:  "These  birds  under  lights 
slowed  up  a  little,  as  a  rule,  did  they  not,  in  the  spring 
season?" 

Prof.  Rice:  "That  was  what  happened  last  year,  in 
1918,  so  far  as  tests  here  at  Cornell  showed,  but  not  so 
this  season  in  the  case  of  both  hens  and  pullets  that  had 
the  lights  from  3  a.  m.  until  dawn,  as  you  will  see  by 
this  chart.  In  the  case  of  the  pullets,  see_  pen  No.  24 
here,  they  also  outlaid  the  check  pen  all  winter  and  up 
to  June  IS,  which  is  as  late  as  this  report  shows.  They 
may  soon  fall  behind,  but  they  were  'way  ahead  up  to 
halfway  through  the  first  month  of  summer." 
Pigmentation  Changes  "Kept  Pace" 
Next,  Prof.  Rice  directed  special  attention  to  five 
charts  IN  COLORS  that  were  based  on  the  actual  egg 
production  of  the  pens  under  lights,  November  4,  1918 
to  June  IS,  1919,  the  five  pens  of  hens  and  six  pens  of  pul- 
lets. These  charts  demonstrated  that  as  actual  produc- 
tion went  on,  not  only  did  pigmentation  changes  KEEP 
PACE  with  it,  but  that,  later  on,  molting  did  the  same 
thing.  Neck  molting  would  start  first,  this  to  be  followed 
by  body  molting  and  then  the  wing  flights  would  drop 
out  in  pairs.  These  charts,  as  explained  by  Prof.  Rice, 
seemed  to  prove  beyond  question  that  the  use  of  lights, 
to  the  extent  of  increasing  egg  production,  merely  brings 
on  SOONER  these  natural,  external  signs  and  changes 
that  indicate  the  condition  of  the  bird  as  to  production, 
also  to  what  extent  she  has  produced,  etc. 

The  speaker's  conclusions  were  to  the  effect,  there- 
fore, that  the  use  of  lights  is  not  going  to  interfere  with 
judging  and  estimating  egg  production  by  external  charac- 
ters and  physical  examination;  that,  on  the  contrary, 
this  newly  developed  plan  of  selecting  the  laying  hens 
and  eliminating  poor  producers  and  those  that  have  fin- 
ished for  the  season,  will  not  be  rendered  more  diffi- 
cult in  practical  use  by  the  employment  of  "lights,"  nor 
of  any  less  real  value. 

At  the  Cornell  Poultry  Plant,  July  7-12,  we  saw  the 
eleven  pens  of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns  "under  lights," 
each  pen  containing  twenty-two  to  twenty-five  birds   (in 


several  cases  one,  two  or  three  birds  had  died,  in  the  nat- 
ural course  of  things),  the  size  of  each  pen  being  12x14 
feet  and  connecting  with  a  runway  12x2S  feet.  In  the 
center  of  each  pen,  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  was  a 
twenty-five-watt  Mazda  incandescent  light  which  Prof. 
Rice  pronounced  to  be  ample  in  such  pens  for  lighting 
purposes.  These  birds  were  let  out  of  doors  April  first 
and  thereafter,  as  a  rule,  but  were  kept  confined  in  the 
12xl4-foot  houses  during  the  winter,  from  November  4^ 
when  the  lighting  test  started,  until  the  following  April 
first.  There  was  a  male  bird  in  each  pen,  so  that  the 
eggs  could  be  incubated  if  desired. 

Lighting  Report  Made  by  H.  E.  Botsford,  of  Poultry  De- 
partment, New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture 
In  outlining  to  the  School  the  different  projects  car- 
ried on  during  1918  and  1919  by  the  Poultry  Department 
of  the  New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  also  pro- 
jects to  be  conducted  during  the  season  of  1919-1920,  one 
of  the  field  extension  workers  of  the  department,  H.  E. 
Botsford,  reported  that  men  representing  the  Cornell 
Poultry  Department  had  visited  one  or  more  times,  eleven 
state  institutions  on  which  there  are  poultry  plants  for  the 
use  of  these  institutions-  respectively.  At  one  such  in- 
stitution where  from  SSO  to  70O  S.  C.  White  Leghorns  are 
kept,  mainly  for  egg  production — an  institution  where 
good  cooperation  was  found,  he  recommended  the  instal- 
lation of  "lights,"  with  the  following  results: 
Egg  Yield  "Without  Lights,"  January  1,  1918,  to  June. 
30,  1918,  Inclusive 

No.  Eggs  Per  cent 

Month  Birds     Produced     Production 

January    540  2346  15.5 

February    540  2520  16.7 

March   514  4032  25.3 

April   508  5106  32.7 

May  485  5422  36.4 

June  467,         6183  44.1 

Egg  Yield  "With  Lights,"  January  1,  1919,  to  June  30. 
1919,   Inclusive 

No.  Eggs  Per  cent 

Month  Birds      Produced      Production 

January    687  6083  28.6 

February    673  9086  47.8 

March 654  10661  S2.6 

April  650         10464  53.4 

May  647  9583  48.0 

June  ."..' 638  8323  43.7 

In  the  above  case  (also  see  accompanying  graph)  it 
will  be  noticed  that  it  was  not  until  June — probably  the 
latter  half  of  June,  that  the  birds  not  under  lights  caught 
up  with  those  under  lights.  Readers  who  are  not  fa- 
miliar with  reports  of  this  kind  will  appreciate  being 
told  that  in  such  an  experiment  as  this  it  is  the  "percent- 
age of  production"  that  shows  the  real  comparison,  wheth- 
er it  be  favorable  or  unfavorable.  For  example,  in  the 
above  tabulation  the  birds  not  under  lights  produced 
in  January,  1918,  a  percentage  of  fifteen  and  one-half  eggs 
for  the  month — that  is,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  and  one- 
half  eggs  per  day  from  each  100  birds.  Referring  to  the 
same  month  the  year  following,  when  a  larger  number  of 
birds  were  under  lights,  the  caretaker  gathered  during  the 
month  twenty-eight  and  six-tenths  eggs  per  day  for  each 
hundred  birds.  Next,  consider  March,  for  the  same 
kind  of  comparison.  The  birds  not  under  lights  March, 
1918,  yielded  twenty-five  and  three-tenths  eggs  for  each 
hundred  birds,  whereas  the  year  following,  the  flock  un- 
der lights,  kept  in  the  same  quarters  and  given  substan- 
tially the  same  care,  yielded  at  the  rate  of  sixty-two  and 
six-tenths  eggs,  for  each  one  hundred  birds. 

Surely    it   is   no    wonder   that    Prof.    Rice,   Mr.    Bots- 


INFIvUENCE  OF  "ILLUMINATION"  ON  EGG  PRODUCTION  "CHARACTERS' 


87 


ford  and  many  others  are  enthusiastic  about  this  matter 
of  using  artificial  illumination  to  prolong  the  functioning 
day  of  hens  and  pullets  during  the  fall  and  winter,  espe- 
cially in  northern  climates.  Writer  has  been  closely 
connected  with  the  poultry  industry  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada  during  a  period  of  twenty-five  years  and  we 
never  have  known  of  a  new  method  that  was  as  surpris- 
ing, IN  UNIFORM  GOOD  RESULTS,  as  this  one.  In 
the  words  of  Prof.  Rice,  it  is  certain,  so  it  would  appear, 
to  work  "nothing  short  of  a  revolu- 
tion in  the  poultry  industry  of  our 
country." 

For  the  season  of  1919-1920  the 
Poultry  Department  of  the  New 
York  State  College  of  Agriculture  is 
going  to  make  a  regular  field  pro- 
ject of  the  use  of  artificial  illumina- 
tion to  increase  egg  production  and 
is  to  send  competent  men  through 
the  state  with  instructions  to  urge 
the  use  of  artificial  lights  on  all  lay- 
er-flocks of  considerable  size,  both 
on  poultry  plants  and  in  the  hands 
of  farmers. 

Said  Prof.  Rice: 

"We  shall  do  our  best  to  introduce 
this  money-making  plan  through- 
out the  state.  We  shall  get  as  many 
poultrymen  and  farmers  to  try  it  as 
we  can,  and  shall  ask  them  to  fur- 
nish us  reports,  using  our  form  of 
questionnaire,  just  as  a  large  number 
have  been  doing  this  past  fall  and 
winter.  Our  department  is  ready 
to  give  advice  on  this  subject  by 
correspondence,  within  the  limits  of 
New  York  State,  and  whenever  it  is 
practicable  to  do  so  our  men  will 
visit  the  owners  of  flocks  of  consid- 
erable size  for  the  purpose  of  giv- 
ing them  reliable  instructions  about 
this  matter,  also  in  regard  to  other 
good  methods  of  handling  their 
flocks,  with  the  object  of  getting  bet- 
ter results  in  production  and  cash 
receipts." 

Lights  "Bring  On"  the  200-Egger 

Prof.  Rice  exhibited  two  other 
colored  charts,  which  we  came  pret- 
ty near  forgetting — so  rich  was  this 
feast  of  poultry  knowledge.     These 

two  charts  were  in  five  colors — blue,  red,  yellow,  pur- 
ple and  black.  One  represented  the  egg  production  of 
pullets  under  lights,  as  compared  with  a  pen  of  pullets 
(same  age  and  of  same  average  quality)  not  under  lights. 
They  told  an  interesting  story.  Referring  to  them  Prof. 
Rice  said,  in  substance,  among  other  things: 

"In  my  talk  the  other  day,  on  distribution  of  egg  pro- 
duction, I  stressed  the  fact  that  in  order  to  get  a  high 
yield  for  the  production  year  we  need  TRECOCITY.' 
Now  what  do  the  'lights'  do  for  us?  They  augment  or 
create  this  'precocity.'  This  is  a  logical  conclusion  of 
early  starting,  and  when  we  put  the  lights  on  in  the  early 
fall  and  the  fairly  well-matured  pullets  respond  within 
ten  days  to  two  weeks,  which  is  the  usual  result,  we  are 
GETTING  'precocity'  by  this  method — no  doubt  about 
it.  Within  two  to  four  weeks,  on  the  average,  we  are  get- 
ting forty  to  fifty  per  cent  yield,  as  a  rule,  under  lights, 
which  means  that  six  to  eight  out  of  every  ten  birds  have 
started  to  lay — and  they  keep  at  it,  if  not  pushed  too 
hard.  This  keeping  at  it  means  'INTENSITY'  of  produc- 
tion, another  factor  necessary  for  high  egg  production 
across  a  twelve-month  period  or  less. 

"And  all  records  to  date  here  at  Cornell  show  that 
the  'lights'  give  us  'I'ERSISTENCY'  also.     For  1918  our 


tests  showed  a  moderate  easing  up  during  the  flush  sea- 
son, March  to  June  inclusive,  but  after  that — by  August 
and  September — these  'lighted'  birds  were  back  at  it  and 
it  will  be  remembered  that  they  also  did  well  right  .through 
the  spring  and  summer.  Here'  we  have  the  lights  con- 
tributing, therefore,  to  'PRECOCITY,'  'INTENSITY'  of 
production  and  'PERSISTENCY'— and  these  two  charts 
show  the  results.  You  will  note  that  blue  color  means 
those  hens  that  laid  200  eggs  or  more  within  one  year. 
Red  means  those  hens  that  laid  between  175  and  199  eggs 
in  the  twelve  months.     Yellow  indicates   ISO  to   174  eggs 

COMPARISOH  OF  "LISSXEQ"  WITH  "KOT  LIGHTED"   lEGECaUS.CORKEIi  UHI7EHSITT, 


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GRAPH  EMPHASIZING  THE  BENEFITS  OF 
This  graph  is   based  on   the  two   Cornell   tahli 


'LIGHTS"    ON  HENS  AND   PULLETS 


half  is  devoted  to  HENS  andl  compares  the  egg  prod 
to   June    15,    1919,    of    the    "check    pen"    No.    21    (not   illuminated 
"lighted"  from  3  a.  m.  till  dawn  throughout  the  period  and  gave  t 
duction  during  the  entire  period.     Right  half  is  devoted  to  PULLETS 
"check  pen"  No.  20  (not  illuminated)    with  : 


duction  of 


Pen 

highest 

and  coi 

Pen  22,  which  had  the 


that  was 
results  in  pro- 
pares  the  pro- 

"Jio-htfl"    from 


while  Line  A  for  each  period,  represents  the  yield  of  the  birds  under  lights — hens  in  the  on« 
case  and  pullets  in  the  other  case.  It  will  be  noted,  for  example,  that  the  hens  in  the  not- 
lighted  pen  for  this  period  (November  4-June  15  inclusive)  laid  1576  eggs,  while  the  same 
number  of  hens  (one  less  in  fact)  laid  1675  eggs  in  the  same  period.  By  referring  to  the 
right  half  of  this  chart,  it  will  be  noted  that  the  not-lighted  pullets  during  the  period  laid 
1652  eggs,  while  the  lighted  birds  (exactly  the  same  number)  laid  2127  eggs.  The  cost  of 
"lights  was  insignificant,  so  the  records  proved.  Laying  quarters,  care  and  feed  were  the 
same  in  both  cases,  as  near  as  these  factors  could  be  regulated  by  human  agency  in  a  test 
meant  to  be  fairly  conducted. 

and  purple  from  125  to  149  eggs,  while  the  black  squares 
mean  LESS  than  100  eggs. 

"Now  compare  the  two  charts.  You  will  note  that 
'without  lights'  NOT  A  SINGLE  ONE  of  the  birds  reach- 
ed the  200-egg  mark,  although  these  not-lighted  pullets 
presumably  were  the  equal  in  every  respect  of  the  lighted 
birds,  so  far  as  we  were  able  to  judge,  and  they  were 
housed  similarly,  fed  similarly  and  had  similar  care.  Over 
here  on  this  chart  that  shows  the  lighted  pen  of  pullets, 
we  find  one  that  shows  by  the  blue  checks  that  it  passed 
the  200-egg  mark,  laying  223  eggs;  that  we  have  two  birds 
that  laid  from  175  to  199  eggs,  as  shown  by  the  red  marks, 
averaging  191  eggs;  that  we  have  four  birds  that  laid  150 
to  174  eggs  and  that  we  have  twelve  among  the  pen 
of  twenty-five  birds  that  laid  less  than  100  eggs. 

"In  the  case  of  another  pen  of  twenty-five  pullefs  un- 
der lights,  four  laid  200  or  more,  averaging  212;  one 
175  to  199;  three  150  to  174,  and  only  six  laid  less  than 
100  eggs. 

"Now  look  at  Chart  No.  II,  representing  not- 
lighted  birds  and  note  what  a  large  number  of  them,  com- 
paratively speaking,  (twenty)  laid  less  than  124  eggs  in 
the  48  weeks.  Here  there  are  no  'blue'  hens  at  all!  Not 
one  of  this  lot  was  able  to  reach  even  140  eggs,  the  best 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


five  having  laid  between  125  and  139  eggs;  ten  laid  between 
100  and  124,  and  ten  of  them  laid  less  than  100  eggs.  This 
low  yield  from  hens  without  lights  perhaps  was  to  have 
been  expected  from  'reject  birds'  that,  if  it  had  not  been 
for  our  decision  to  put  Ihem  under  lights,  would  have 
been  sold  on  the  local  market  for  eating  purposes. 

COiPARISON  OP  "LIGHTED"   WITH  "HOT  LIGHTED' 
LEGHOBNS  AT  HEW  YOBK  STATE  IHSTITUTIOH 


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Department  of  the  New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture,  „_  _.. 
forth  in  tabular  form  on  page  86.  Line  A  represents  the  pro- 
duction (in  percentages)  of  the  lighted  birds,  while  Line  B 
shows  the  percentages  from  birds  of  equal  merit  kept  in  the  same 
quarters  the  year  before   "without  lights."      Mr.  Botsford  and  the 


General  care  and  feeding  we're  the  same,  or  practically 
good  results   are   in   keeping  with  many   other   similar  tests  made 
throughout    the    country    from    the    Atlantic    to    the    Pacific,    and 
--    -ally  m  northern   latitudes  where   the  fall  and  winter   nights 


longer  than 


cithern  territory. 


"Results  like  the  above  make  us  wonder  whether  men 
or  hens  are  responsible  for  egg  records  and  suggest  the 
probability  that  many  times  the  egg  records  have  been  the 
measure  of  the  man  rather  than  the  hens.  Verilv  the 
responsibility  of  man  is  great.  The  responsibility  clearly 
is  equally  divided  between  the  inherited  tendency  of  the 
fowl  to  lay  and  the  methods  and  skill  of  the  man.  Hens 
have  a  right  to  be  given  a  chance  to  do  their  best  be- 
fore being  consigned  to  the  culling  crate  and  to  mar- 
ket. Under  better  care  many  a  misjudged  hen  may  be- 
come a  creditable  producer.  Artificial  light,  properly  ap- 
plied, is  one  of  the  most  effective  methods  of  enabling 
hens  to  lay  what  is  in  them  to  lay.  This  will  be  the 
hen's  greatest  joy  in  life  and  man's  greatest  reward  in 
money  and  satisfaction. 

"These  results  furnish  conclusive  proof,  so  it  would 
appear,  that  the  lights  immediately  and  materially  im- 
prove the  birds  physically,  doing  this  by  helping  them 
to  function  better,  by  giving  them  conditions  more  nat- 
ural to  their  organisms— conditions  nearer  to  their  orig- 
inal state  when  they  enjoyed  an  equatorial  day  of  twelve 
hours  of  sunlight  on  the  average  for  each  twelve  hours 
of  darkness.  "Thus  far,  I  am  frank  to  say,  in  every  test  we 
have  made  here  at  Cornell  in  the  use  of  artificial  illumina- 
tion it  has  been  decidedly  favorable.  This  is  the  fact — 
and  it  is  information  to  which  you  are  entitled.  As  a 
result  of  these  tests  and  developments,  it  is  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Poultry  Department  of  Cornell  to  put  on  a 
state-wide  campaign  this  coming  fall  in  favor  of  the  use 


of  artificial  illumination  to  increase  egg  production  dur- 
ing the  period  of  scarcity  and  high  prices.  We  believe  that 
we  are  fully  justified  in  doing  this  and  that  the  results 
will  be  wonderfully  helpful  to  poultrymen  and  poultry- 
women  who  are  keeping  fowls  for  egg  production,  espe- 
cially those  who  keep  quite  large  flocks  and  look  to  the 
sale  of  market  eggs  as  an  important  source  of  income." 
Exhibit  Showing  "Influence  of  Illumination  On  Egg  Pro- 
duction" 
In  one  of  the  classrooms  in  the  Poultry  Building  at 
Cornell,  during  the  week  of  the  Second  Annual  Judging 
and  Breeding  School,  there  was  a  carefully  arranged  ex- 
hibit made  up  of  trays  of  eggs  and  placards,  the  display 
bearing  .this  title: 

INFLUENCE  OF  ILLUMINATION  ON 
EGG   PRODUCTION 
Beneath  the  above  wording  was  the  following: 

T  TPuTc  (  6  A.  M.  to  Dawn  No 

^^^^^^ 1  Twilight  to  9  P.  M.    ^*-  Lights 

Average   per   period;   average   per  bird. 

Below  the  foregoing  was  the  "range  of  prices"  (actual 
for  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  being  two  cents  per  dozen  less  than  New 
York  quotations,  same  dates)  from  November  28,  1917,  to 
October  29,  1918,  said  prices  being  as  follows: 

November  28  to  December  25 69  cents 

December  26  to  January  22 71  cents 

January  23   to   February   19 59  cents 

February  20  to  March  19 43  cents 

March  20  to  April  16 38  cents 

April    17    to    May    14 39  cents 

May   IS  to  June   11 43  cents 

June  12  to  July  9 48  cents 

July  10  to  August  6 - 55  cents 

August  7  to  September  3 61  cents 

September  4  to  October  1 66  cents 

October  2  to  October  29 82  cents 

On  the  table  or  long  bench  underneath  each  price 
placard  for  the  stated  period  (placards  tacked  to  the  wall) 
were  two  small  trays  of  eggs,  one  showing  the  actual 
number  of  eggs  laid  for  the  period  at  Cornell  (average) 
by  pullets  "under  lights"  and  the  other  tray  showing  the 
average  number  of  eggs  laid  (under  same  conditions)  by 
pullets  of  same  quality,  not  under  lights;  then  at  the 
end  of  the  long  table  were  two  big  trays,  one  holding 
141.38  eggs  (141),  representing  the  actual  number  laid 
by  the  average  of  the  pullets  under  lights,  and  the  other 
holding  106.99  eggs  (107),  representing  the  number  laid 
on  the  average  by  pullets  not  under  lights,  and  above 
these  trays  respectively,  was  the  actual  market  value 
(Ithaca  prices)  of  the  eggs  laid,  showing  that  the  average 
pullet  under  lights  laid  $6.31  worth  of  eggs  from  Novem- 
ber 28,  1917,  to  October  29,  1918,  whereas  the  average 
pullet  not  under  lights  produced  eggs  worth  $4.43,  a  dif- 
ference of  $1.88  in  favor  of  the  same  kind  and  quality  of 
pullets  under  lights,  given  the  same  feed,  care,  etc. 

Then,  along  the  same  table,  nearer  the  front,  were  two 
more  rows  of  small  trays  and  two  big  trays — these  rep- 
resenting the  same  kind  of  a  comparison  for  hens.  The 
hens  under  lights  averaged  to  lay  127.9  eggs  with  an  ac- 
tual market  value  that  year  (Ithaca  prices)  of  $5.61, 
whereas  the  same  kind  and  quality  of  hens  under  lights 
averaged  to  lay  101.4,  having  a  value  of  $4.04,  thus  illus- 
trating that  the  hen  under  lights  averaged  to  earn  $1.57 
more  per  bird  than  did  the  average  hen  not  under  lights, 
based  on  the  cash  value,  each  month,  of  the  eggs  actually 
laid.  And  let  it  be  kept  in  mind  that  these  birds,  both 
the  pullets  and  hens,  were  rejects,  the  left-overs. 

This  exhibit  attracted  much  attention  and  furnished 
"favorable  evidence"  in  an  impressive  form  of  the  sur- 
prising— the  astonishing  benefits  of  the  use  of  lights  dur- 


INFLUENCE  OF  "ILLUMINATION"  ON  EGG  PRODUCTION  "CHARACTERS" 


ing  the  short-day  period  of  the  year,  beginning  as  early 
as  September  1st,  in  the  North  Temperate  Zone  and  con- 
tinuing until  March  21st,  on  the  average,  at  which  time 
the  sunlit  day  is  equal  to  the  hours  of  darkness,  after 
which  the  birds  not  under  lights  generally  do  as  well, 
as  a  rule,  as  those  under  lights,  although  the  experiments 
at  Cornell,  November  4,  1918,  to  June  IS,  1919,  would  in- 
dicate that  where  lights  are  put  on  at  3  a.  m.,  for  ex- 
ample,   and   kept    burning   until    dawn,    the    birds    will    be 


so  far  improved  as  to  health,  vigor,  etc.,  that  they  can  be 
expected  to  lay  even  more  eggs  clear  through  the  spring 
than  birds  of  equal  quality  which  have  not  been  given  the 
benefit  of  the  longer  day  and  that  do  not  begin  to  lay  un- 
til two  or  three  months  later,  starting  perhaps  in  late 
January  or  during  February.  Such  points  as  this  are 
still  to  be  tested  until  the  limitations  are  found  and  rules 
of  practice  can  be  adopted,  based  on  actual  results  many 
times  repeated. 


Tables  and  Data  on  Which  Eight  of  Colored  Charts  Are  Based 


REFERENCE  HERE  IS  MADE  TO  THE  EIGHT  THREE-COLOR  CHARTS  THAT  ARE  PUBLISHED 
ON  PAGES  6,  7,  10  AND  U  OF  THIS  BOOK,  SHOWING  IN  IMPRESSIVE  FORM  PRACTICALLY 
YEAR-LONG  TESTS  WHICH  WERE  MADE  BY  THE  POULTRY  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
STATE  COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE,  CORNELL  UNIVERSITY,  STARTING  IN  NOVEMBER,  1917, 
AND  ENDING  OCTOBER  29,  1918-^TABLES  HEREWITH  WERE  OBTAINED  BY  THE  COURTESY 
OF   PROF.  JAS.   E.  RICE,  HEAD    OF   THE   POULTRY   DEPARTMENT  AT   CORNELL  UNIVERSITY 


AS  above  stated,  the  tables  herewith  represent  the 
actual  egg  production  on  which  eight  of  the  color 
plates  shown  in  the  forepart  of  this  book  (pages 
6,  7,  10  and  11)  are  based.  The  eight  tables  also  present 
a  good  deal  of  additional  information  th_at  is  of  inter- 
est and  value.  First,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Prof. 
Rice  reported,  with  reference  to  these  hens  and  pullets 
(the  entire  number  under  lights  during  1918  at  Cornell) 
that  they  were  "rejects'' — that  is,  birds  that  if  it  had  not 
been  the  decision  to  make  the  test  of  the  use  of  artificial 
light  to  increase  egg  production  during  the  fall  and  win- 
ter, would  have  been  sold  on  the  daily  market  for  table 
meat.  These  birds,  both  hens  and  pul- 
lets, were  the  "left-overs"  after  all  '  '  ' 
specimens  needed  for  other  breeding  °  '  .^  ^ 
work  and  instructional  purposes  had 
been  picked  out  of  the  Cornell  flocks. 
The  foregoing  facts  explain,  in 
large  part,  the  low  average  produc- 
tion per  hen  and  per  pullet  from  these 
S.  C.  White  Leghorns,  both  without 
lights  and  under  lights.    For  hens  that 


only  100.74  eggs  and  pullets  only  127.94 
eggs  "without  lights,"  is  poor  enough, 
while  averages  of  113.69,  126.42  and  i+o 
127.92  for  hens  "under  lights"  and  av- 
erages of  126.59,  127.2  and  147.27  for 
pullets  are  averages  that  would  not  30 
satisfy  the  up-to-date  fancier-breeder 
using  trap  nests,  or  the  progressive 
commercial  egg  farmer — not  by  con- 
siderable, although  it  should  be  stated 
that  these  averages,  such  as  they  are, 
are  above  the  averages  for  the  nu- 
merous egg  farms  of  New  Jersey,  one 
of  our  most  progressive  eastern  states 
in  the  commercial  egg-farming  branch  V^EKS 
of  the  industry. 

These  tables  (also  the  colored 
charts  made  therefrom)  should  be 
studied  on  a  comparative  basis — that 
is,  how  much  better  did  the  lighted 
hens  do  than  the  nonlighted  hens,  and 
how  m^uch  better  did  the  lighted  pul- 
lets do  than  the  "check  pen"  of  pul- 
lets without  lights.  According  to  the 
best  judgment  of  Prof.  Rice  and  his 


assistants  in  the  Poultry  Department  at  Cornell,  all  these 
hens  and  all  these  pullets  were  practically  the  same,  as  to 
their  mediocre  qualities;  they  were  housed  on  an  equality, 
and  were  fed  the  same,  handled  alike,  etc.  On  that 
basis  it  is  fair  and  enlightening  to  compare  these  lighted 
pens  with  the  nonlighted  pens,  not  only  as  to  eggs  laid 
and  percentages  of  production,  but  also  as  to  the  cost  of 
feed  and  the  value  of  eggs  above  cost  of  feed,  thus  to 
determine  the  approximate  benefit  of  "lights"  even  on 
inferior  specimens  such  as  these  undoubtedly  were. 

In   this  same   connection  it  should  be  taken   into  ac- 
count that  in  no  case  were  the  results  of  these   1918  ex- 


VINELAND     PRODUCTION 


10 


IS- 


ZO 


2? 


30 


35 


HO  H-S-  SO      ' 

EGG    PRODUCTION    FOE 


GRAPHIC  CHART  SHOWING  WEEKLY  PERCENTAGE  OP 
THREE  YEABS  AT  VINELAND,  N.  J. 
Heavy  black  line  shows  pullet  production,  November  1,  1916-October  31,  1917,  inclusive; 
dotted  line  shows  production  of  original  pullets  as  yearling  hens,  November  1,  1917-October 
31,  1918,  inclusive;  lighter  black  line  shows  production  of  pullets,  November  1,  1918,  to  No- 
vember 1,  1919,  these  pullets  being  bred  at  Vineland  from  the  yearlings  here  mentioned.  Note 
that  the  pullets  bred  at  Vineland  laid  remarkably  well  the  first  fifteen  weeks  of  the  period; 
that  they  excelled  their  mothers  as  pullets  during  the  entire  twelve  months,  except  for  a  day  or 
two  in  the  sixteenth  or  seventeenth  week  and  for  two  or  three  days  in  about  the  twenty-third 
week,  also  for  a  short  period  at  end  of  year.  Observe  that  at  about  the  twenty-fifth  to 
twenty-eighth  week,  these  1,000  pullets  touched  the  70  per  cent  production  line,  which  meant 
700  eggs  per  day  for  a  period  of  several  days.  This  chart  contrasts  in  the  clearest  manner 
pullet  and  yearling  production,  and  emphasizes  the  inferiority  of  hens  as  early  winter  layers. 
If  they  are  to  be  made  more  profitable  at  this  season,  lights  must  be  used,  and  there  is  no 
objection  whatever  to  doing  this  if  the  hens  are  not  to  be  placed  in  breeding  pens  later  en. 


90 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


May,  June,  etc.,  but  in  the  later  experiments  at  CorneH 
(November  4,  1918-June  15,  1919)  the  birds  under  lights 
continued  to  lay  more  eggs  right  through  the  flush  sea- 
son, notably  in  the  cases  of  pens  that  had  the  lights  from 
3  a.  m.  until  dawn. 


periments  equal  to  the  remarkable  egg  yield  secured  at 
Cornell  from  November  4,  1918,  to  June  IS,  1919,  with 
different  lots  of  hens  and  pullets,  especially  those  pens 
(one  of  hens  and  one  of  pullets)  that  had  the  benefit  of 
lights  from  3  a.  m.  every  morning  until  dawn.  In  these 
1918  experiments  (see  tables  below)  the  reject  hens  and 
pullets  did  not  hold  up  so  well  in  egg  production  dur- 
ing the  flush  season  of  the  year,  namely:     March,  April," 

DATA  SECURED  IN  ONE-YEAR  LIGHTING  TESTS  CONDUCTED    BY    POULTRY    DEPARTMENT    OF 

CORNELL  UNIVERSITY  AND  GRAPHICALLY    PRESENTED    IN    COLORED 

CHARTS  ON  PAGES  6,  7,  10  AND  11 

TABLE  No.  1— PKODUCTION  OF  CHECK  PEN  OF  HENS  WITH 
AETIFICIAL  LIGHT 
CoraeU  University,  Ithaca,  N.  T. 


ittention  is  here   called  to   an  error  whicli  occurred  in 

ginal  drawing  for  Color  Plate  VIII   (page  11)    illustrat- 

-    --     For  the   period  June   13-July   11,   the   solid  production 

should  he  helow  the  dotted  line  instead  of  ahove.     The  percentage 

(32.6)   is  correct. 


NOTE: 
making  the 
ing  Tabl 


TABLE   No.     5— PEODUCTION     OF    HENS    THAT    HAD   LIGHTS 
DURING  EVENINGS  ONLY,  TILL  9  P.  M. 
Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  T. 
Hens     Lights  9:00  P.M. 


Nov.  38-Dec.  25 
Dec.  26-Jan.  22 
Jan.  23Peb.  19 
Feb.  20-Mar.  19 
Mar.  20-Apr  16 
Apr.  17-May  14 
May  15-June  13 
June  12July  9 
July  lO-Augnst  6 
August  7-Sept.  3 
Sept.  4-Oct.  1 


310  46.1 

289  43.0 

224  33.3 

80  11.9 


2.07 
6.39 

7.85 


12.97 
12.40 
13.24 
11.38 


Cost 
Feed 
5.02 
5.04 


4.71 
3.42 
59.06 


Value  Eggs  Feed  per 
Above  Feed  Doz.  Eggs 
4.33        121.80 


5.25 
4.42 
4.73 


7.49 
8.72 
7.22 
—.31 
—1.57 
38.72 
1.59 


Date 

Nov.  28-Dec.  25 
Dec.  26-Jan.  22 
Jan.  23-Peb.  19 
Feb.  20-Mar.  19 
Mar.  20-Apr.  16 
Apr.  17-May  14 
Mav  15-June  11 
June  12-July  9 
July  10- Aug.  6 
Aug.  7-Sept.  3 
Sept.  4-Oct.  1 
Oct.  2-Oct.  29 
Totals 
Averages 


Mort-  Eggs    Percent    Value 

aUty    Laid      Prod.       Eggs 

188      26.8      10.81 

36.8      15.27 

36.4      12.24 

42.7      10.28 


Value  Eggs    Feec 
Above  Feed  Doz. ; 

4.42  10.03 


258 


854      52. e 
1      265      40.1 


L.21 


10.77 
7.59 
7.65 


7.46 
7.73 
7.17 


4.95 
5.10 
4.17 
4.21 
5.11 
69.85 
3.11 


8.41 
4.78 
2.55 
4.04 


4.41 
6.73 
6.60 
3.38 
2.54 
46.05 
24.9 


8.45 
9.2» 
8.38 
6.56 
7.58 
5.36 
7.09 
6.51 
6.51 
10.28 
16.26 


7.96 


TABLE  No.  B— PEODUCTION  OF  CHECK  PEN  OF  PULLETS  WITH 


NO  AETIFICIAL  LIGHT 
Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N. 


TABLE  No.  6— PEODUCTION  OF  PULLETS  THAT  HAD  LIGHTS 

DUEING  EVENINGS  ONLY,  TILL  9  P.  M. 

Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 


PuUets     Noughts 

Pullets     Lights  9:00  P. 

M. 

te 

Mort- 

Eggs 

Percent 

Value 

Cost 

Value  Eggs 

Feed  per 

Date 

Mort- 

Eggs 

Percent 

Cost 

Value  Egg. 

Feed  per 

alitj 

Jfd 

Prod. 

Eggs 

Feed 

Above  Feed  Doz.  Eggs 

ality 

Laid 

Prod. 

Eggs 

Feed 

Above  Feed 

Dos.  Eggs 

Nov.  28-Dec.  25 
Dec  26-Jan  22 

157 

22  4 

9.03 

6.12 

2.91 

11.52 

Nov.  28-Deo.  25 

112 

16.0 

6.44 

5.88 

.56 

15.33 

23.1 

9.59 

5.81 

3.78 

11.38 

Dec.  26-Jan.  22 

333 

47.6 

10.70 

7.30 

12.40 

6.94 

Jan"  23-Fel>    19 

223 

31.8 

10.96 

6.00 

4.96 

8.33 

Jan.  23-Feb.  19 

370 

52.9 

18.19 

7.98 

10.21 

6.66 

Feb.  20-Mar".  19 
Mar.  20-Apr.  16 
Apr.  17-May  14 
May  15-June  11 
June  12-July  9 

348 

14.7 

12.47 

7.10 

5.37 

6.39 

Feb.  20-Mar.  19 

375 

53.6 

13.44 

7.61 

5.83 

6.81 

441 

13.97 

7.02 

6.95 

5.16 

Mar.  20-Apr.  16 

368 

52.6 

11.65 

6.55 

5.10 

5.75 

390 

55!5 

12.68- 

5.59 

7.09 

4.71 

Apr.  17-May  14 
May  15-June  H 

296 

42.3 

9.62 

5.54 

4.08 

6.18 

270 

38.5 

9.68 

4.57 

5.11 

5.67 

267 

38.1 

9.57 

4.23 

5.34 

5.81 

254 

36.2 

10.16 

5.80 

4.36 

7.67 

June  12-July  9 

1 

259 

37.9 

10.36 

5.34 

5.02 

6.91 

189 

27.0 

4.87 

3.79 

8.48 

July  10-Attg.  6 

247 

36.9 

11.32 

5.05 

6.27 

6.73 

I 

117 

17.3 

5"95 

5.26 

.69 

14.92 

Aug.  7-Sept.  3 

1 

184 

27.5 

9.35 

5.47 

8.88 

9.82 

62 

9.2 

3.41 

5.06 

—1.65 

27.83 

Sept.  4-Oet.  1 

149 

23.1 

8.20 

4.90 

3.30 

11.23 

2 

50 

7.7 

3.42 

4.31 

— .89 

30.43 

Oct.  2-Oct.  29 

134 

20.8 

9.15 

4.56 

4.59 

12.18 

Totals 

3 

2663 

109.98 

67.51 

42.47 

Totals 

2 

3094 

136.99 

70.41 

66.58 

Averagea 

107.94 

4.46 

2.74 

1.72 

8.23 

Averages 

126.59 

5.61 

2.88 

2.72 

7.36 

TABLE  No.  S— PEODUCTION   OF 

HENS 

WITH 

LIGHTS, 

7  A.M. 

TABLE    No.    7- 

-PEODUCTION    OF    HENS 

1    THAT    HAD    LIGHTS, 

AND  7  P.  M. 

6  A 

..  M.— ' 

9  P.M. 

Cornell  University 

-.  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Cornell  University,  Ithaca, 

,  N.  Y. 

Hens     7:00  A.  M. 

—7  P 

.M.  Lights 

Hen     Lights  6:00  A.M. 

—9:00  P.  M 

* 

Mort- 

•   Eggs 

Percent    Value 

Cost 

Value  Eggs 

Feed  per 

Date 

Mort- 

-  Eggs 

Percent    Value 

Value  Eggs 

Peed  per 

ality 

lifd 

Prod. 

Eggs 

Feed 

Above  Peed 

Doz.  Eggs 

ality 

Laid 

Prod. 

Eggs 

Seed 

Above  Feed  Dor.  Eggs 

Nov.  28-Deo.  25 

80 

11  4 

4.60 

5.85 

— 1.25 

21.54 

Nov.  28-Dec.  25 

142 

20.3 

8.16 

5.48 

2.68 

11.21 

Dec  26-Jan  22 

2 

150 

22.9 

4.98 

3.90 

10.45 

Dec.  26-Jan.  22 

252 

36.0 

14.91 

5.90 

9.01 

7.38 

Jan  23-Feb  19 

246 

38.1 

12!l0 

5.95 

6.15 

7.43 

Jan.  23-Feb.  19 

2 

222 

33.4 

10.92 

5.15 

5.77 

7.06 

Feb"  20-Mar  19 

296 

45  9 

10.6 

6.11 

4.49 

6.40 

Feb.  20-Mar.  19 

2 

284 

46.6 

10.17 

5.19 

4.98 

5.61 

Mar".  20-Apr!  16 
Apr.  17-May  14 
May  15-June  11 
June  12-Jaly  9 
Jnly  10- Aug.  6 
Aug.  7-Sept.  3 
Sept.  4-Oct.  1 
Oct  2-Oct  29 

373 

57.9 

11.81 

7.25 

4.56 

8.29 

Mar.  20-Apr.  16 

308 

52.3 

9.75 

5.74 

4.01 

5.98 

336 

52.1 

10.92 

6.05 

4.87 

5.93 

Apr.   17-May  14 
May  15-June  11 

317 

53.9 

10.30 

5.42 

297 

46.1 

10.64 

5.18 

5.46 

5.84 

801 

51.1 

10.78 

4:58 

6.20 

i'i2 

1 

231 

37.0 

9.24 

4.90 

4.34 

7.11 

June  12-July  9 

243 

42.0 

9.72 

4.21 

5.51 

5.78 

220 

85.7 

10.08 

4.54 

5.54 

6.78 

July  10  Aug.  6 

1 

231 

43  1 

10.58 

4.24 

6.34 

6.02 

1 

143 

24.1 

7.27 

5.01 

2.26 

11.53 

Aug.  7-Sept.  3 

156 

29.3 

7.93 

3.46 

4.47 

7.80 

1 

79 

13.8 

4.34 

3.85 

.49 

16.26 

Sept.  4-Oct.  1 

110 

21.4 

6.05 

3.87 

2.18 

11.78 

99 

17.6 

6.77 

4.11 

2.66 

14.61 

Oct.  2-Oct.  29 

137 

27.2 

9.35 

4.80 

4.55 

12.80 

""'"Totals 

5 

2550 

107.25 

63.78 

43.47 

Totals 

7 

2703 

118.62 

57.50 

61.12 

Averages 

127.2 

5.46 

2.77 

2.69 

7.16 

Averages 

127.92 

5.6 

2.72 

2.89 

6.84 

TABLE     No.     4- 

-PEODUCTION     OF     PULLETS 

WITH     LIGHTS, 

TABLE  No.  8— 

•PEODUCTION  OF  PULLETS  THAT  HAD  LIGHTS. 

7  A.  M.  AND  7  P.  1 

W. 

6  A 

..  M.— 

9  P.  M. 

CorueU  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

CorneU  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

PuUete     Lights  7  A.  M. 

—7  P 

.  M. 

PuUets     lights 

6:00  A.M.— 

9:00  PJU. 

Date 

Mort 

-   Eggs 

Percent    Value 

Cost 

Value  Eggs 

Feed  per 

Date 

Mort 

-   Eggs 

Percent    Value 

Coat 

Value  Eggs 

Peed  per 

allty 

Laid 

Prod. 

Eggs 

Feed 

Above  Feed  Doz.  Eggs 

alltj 

■    Laid 

Prod. 

Eggs 

Peed 

Above  Feed  Dos.  Eggs 

Nov  28-Dec  25 

153 

21.6 

8.80 

6.14 

11.81 

Nov.  28-Dec.  25 

256 

14.72 

6.65 

8.07 

7.65 

Dec.  26-Jan.  22 

214 

30.5 

12.66 

5.57 

7;09 

8.23 

Dec.  26  Jan.  22 

380 

54:2 

22.48 

I-?f 

15.22 

6.03 

Jan.  23-Feb.  19 

309 

44.1 

15.19 

6.23 

8:96 

6.21 

Jan.  23-Feb.  19 

381 

54.4 

18.73 

6.88 

^Hl 

5.58 

Feb  20-Mar.  19 

387 

55.2 

13.89 

6.53 

7.36 

5.25 

Feb.  20-Mar.  19 

420 

60.0 

15.05 

7.07 

7.98 

is^ 

Mar.  20-Apr.  16 

405 

57.8 

12.83 

6.18 

6.65 

4.94 

Mar.  20-Apr.  16 

1 

423 

61.8 

13.40 

6.97 

6.43 

5.33 

Apr.  17-May  14 

1 

342 

49.7 

11.12 

6.18 

4.94 

5.95 

Apr.  17-May  14 

1 

370 

55.3 

12.02 

5.68 

?-^t 

5.04 

May  15-June  11 

289 

43.0 

10.35 

4.86 

5.49 

5.64 

May  15-June  11 

2 

264 

43.8 

9.46 

4.03 

5.43 

f-19 

June  12-July  9 

1 

247 

38.0 

9.88 

5.69 

4.19 

7.74 

June  12-July  9 

192 

32.6 

7.68 

4.65 

3.03 

8.71 

'^V^^lti 

3 

217 

37.0 

9.94 

4.26 

5.68 

6.47 

July  10-Aug.  6 

1 

202 

34.8 

9.26 

4.10 

5.16 

6.64 

159 

28.4 

4.03 

4.05 

8.37 

Aug.  7  Sept.3 

147 

26.2 

7.47 

4.92 

2.55 

ll-ii 

Sept.  4-Oct.  1 
Oct.  2-Oct.  29 

1 

89 

16.3 

4190 

4.36 

.54 

16.48 

Sept.  4-Oct.  1 

92 

16.4 

5.06 

4.46 

.60 

16.27 

117 

21.9 

8.00 

3.72 

4.28 

11.22 

Oct.  2-Oct.  29 

159 

28.4 

10.87 

5.75 

5.12 

12.78 

Totals 

6 

2928 

125.64 

63.75 

61.89 

Totals 

5 

3286 

146.20 

68.42 

77.78 

Averages 

127.2 

5.46 

2.77 

2.69 

7.16 

Averages 

145.27 

6.46 

3,02 

6.76 

How  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoup  Discovered  the  Benefit  of  "Lights" 

PLAIN  STATEMENT  OF  HOW  THESE  TWO  EARNEST  WORKERS  ON  THE  NORTH  PACIFIC 
COAST,  PUTTING  IN  OVERTIME  AND  WITH  A  DETERMINATION  TO  MAKE  GOOD  IN  THEIR 
POULTRY  VENTURE,  DISCOVERED  INDEPENDENTLY  THAT  A  LONGER  WORKDAY  FOR  THEIR 
SHOULD-BE  LAYERS  MEANT  AN  INCREASED  PRODUCTION  DURING  THE  FALL  AND 
WINTER      MONTHS,       ALWAYS      THE      HIGH-PRICED      PERIOD       FOR       NEW-LAID       EGGS 


By  MR.  AND  MRS.  GEO.  R.  SHOUP,  Poultry  Specialists,  fVeste 


<Exfc 


■  Station,  ftfallup,  fTashingti 


THE  first  trial  of  our  artificial  lighting  of  poultry 
was  on  a  rather  limited  scale.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1911  we  had  managed  to  raise  some  three 
hundred  pullets,  in  fireless  brooders.  The  energy  and  per- 
severance required  to  achieve  this  result  with  this  crude 
equipment  no  doubt  led  us  to  an  enhanced  appreciation 
of  this,  to  us,  magnificent  flock  of  pullets. 

Another  Leghorn  breeder  a  few  miles  away  also  had 
a  flock  of  approximately  the  same  size.  A  near  neigh- 
bor of  ours  who  was  well  acquainted  with  this  rival  pro- 
ducer of  eggs  took  a  lively  interest  in  comparing  the  pro- 
duction of  the  two  flocks  of  pullets.  We  had  by  this  time 
acquired  considerable  prestige  with  the  pioneer  settlers 
because  of  our  ability  to  get  eggs  in  the  wintertime,  an  un- 
heard-of proceeding  with  their  poorly  housed  and  worse 
managed  flocks.  It  was  inconceivable  to  them  that  an  in- 
experienced Chicago  couple,  who  a  few  years  before  had 
to  secure  their  services  to  determine  the  sex  of  the  grow- 
ing chicks,  could  really  make  a  living  with  chickens.  So 
this  prestige  of  being  star  performers  in  our  chosen  line 
was  really  quite  precious  to  us.  As  we  look  back  over 
this  period  of  our  work,  we  feel  that  the  greatest  incen- 
tive was  not  the  splendid  prices  received  for  the  winter 
product, — though  sadly  needed  for  further  development, 
but  the  pride  of  performance  where  the  other  fellows 
couldn't. 

No  doubt  the  proudest  moment  of  our  lives  was  when 
driving  up  the  main  street  of  our  market  town  (some  forty 
thousand  people)  with  four  cases  of  eggs — well  uncovered, 
you  bet! — and  having  several  aproned  clerks  and  store- 
keepers following  us  up  to  make  a  bid  on  the  first  case-lot 
of  fresh  eggs  seen  in  town  for  several  weeks. 

Imagine  our  chagrin  one  evening  when  the  mutual 
friend  of  the  rival  poultryman  and  ourselves,  after  com- 
paring notes,  announced  that  we  were  beaten  fifteen  eggs 
on  that  day's  run.  Of  course,  the  other  fellow  had  cop- 
ped most  of  our  feeding  and  equipment  stunts,  but  we 
couldn't  believe  he  had  any  better  pullets.  Our  star  was 
fading  and  something  must  be  done. 

Our  rule  in  those  days,  when  land  had  to  be  cleared, 
shingle  bolts  cut  and  firewood  made,  was  to  do  no  work 
in  daylight  which  could  be  done  just  as  well  by  lantern 
light.  Cleaning  the  droppings  boards  was  a  job  that  fell 
among  the  lantern-lit  tasks  in  the  morning.  This  pre-day- 
light  performance  had  the  additional  advantage  of  keep- 
ing the  eggs  much  cleaner,  as  the  birds  would  fly  from 
the  roosts  clear  to  the  floor  without  wanting  to  jump 
on  the  droppings  boards  and  soil  their  feet. 

We  had  noticed  for  several  days  that  quite  a  bunch  of 
pullets  would  follow  up  the  lantern  and  endeavor  to  find 
grain  in  the  litter,  and  had  on  several  occasions  placed 
the  light  on  the  floor  for  a  few  moments  just  to  humor 
the  biddies  which,  of  course,  were  very  tame  because  of 
frequent  handling  in  the  trap  nests.  'Time  was  precious, 
however,  and  the  one  lantern  was  needed  to  clean  more 
coops  before  breakfast  and  to  get  the  oats  out  of  the 
sprouter  and  distributed  through  the  coops  so  that  the 
birds  could  eat  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough.  So  when 
in  the  course  of  a  Sunday  visit,  our  old  English  neigh- 
bor suggested  in  a  vein  of  humor  that  "we  give  the  bloom- 
in'  'ens  light  to  h'eat  breakfast  and  supper  by,"  it  gave  us 
the  necessary  hint.  We  hung  the  lanterns  (the  brightest 
barn  lanterns  we  could  buy)  in  various  places,  both  high 
and  low,  to  the  rear  and  to  the  front  of  the  coop,  shift- 


ing them  to  try  out  the  different  positions,  and  finally 
nailed  up  tin  reflectors  on  the  front  foot-wide  upright  coop 
supports  about  two  feet  from  the  floor,  and  hung  one 
lantern  in  a  place.  We  found  it  necessary  to  have  the 
lanterns  trimmed  and  lighted  as  early  as  three-thirty  in 
the  afternoons,  our  days  were  so  dark.  As  a  precaution 
against  fire  the  lanterns  when  lighted  were  left  on  the 
workbench  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  to  make  sure  the 
flame  did  not  rise,  blacken  the  chimneys,  and  possibly 
come  out  of  the  top  to  the  danger  of  adjacent  woodwork. 

The  birds  were  so  evidently  pleased  with  the  new  ar- 
rangement that  we  could  hear  them  singing  long  after 
dark,  and  in  ten  days'  time  from  the  purchase  of  the  lan- 
terns we  had  the  pleasure  of  informing  our  poultry  news 
dispenser  that  our  production  was  up  to  200  eggs  per  day, 
and  the  country  was  saved.  Mr.  C.  was  still  getting  the, 
little  old  five  dozen  per,  which  was  fifteen  S-cent  eggs 
more  than  we  had  been  able  to  squeeze  out  without  the 
lights.  We  kept  the  chicken  coops  light  and  the  method 
dark  for  several  weeks.  We  lived  on  the  end  of  the  road 
nearly  a  mile  from  the  nearest  neighbor  through  the 
woods,  but  eventually  an  evening  visitor  caught  us  in  the 
act,  and  shortly  all  lantern  stocks  in  the  near-by  stores 
had  disappeared. 

At  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year,  Decem'ber  1,  1912,  we 
had  hen  No.  328  with  a  12-month  record  of  267  eggs. 
General  visitors  we  found  so  incredulous  that  we  told  only 
real   chicken   fans   about  this   bird   and   her   eighteen   pen 


ON  R.  P.  J.'S  HONOR  ROLL 

For  some  time  it  has  been  a  practice  with  tlie  Reliable 
Poultry  Journal  to  publish  illustrations  of  individual  hens  that 
reach  an  annual  egg  production  of  300  eggs  or  better,  also  of 
birds  that  pass  the  1,000  egg  mark  in  a  lifetime.  That  is  what 
is  meant  by  R.  P.  J.'s  honor  roll.  The  S.  0.  White  Leghorn 
pictured  above  gained  the  right  to  have  her  name  added  to  the 
list  by  laying  311  eggs  in  365  consecutive  days  in  the  All- 
Northwest  Egg  Laying  Contest,  Pullman,  Wash.,  year  ending  in 
1918.     Unless  we  are  mistaken,  no  lights  were  used. 

mates,  the  average  of  which  was  225  eggs.  That  meant  a 
great  deal  to  us  and  convinced  us  that  there  was  a  possi- 
bility of  200-egg  flocks,  though  not  even  our  imaginations 
reached  the  point  of  expecting  the  300-egger.     There  are 

91 


92 


USE   OF   ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


many  unsolved  problems  in  building  up  flocks  of  high 
records  and  long  lives,  but  that  only  adds  ze^t  to  the 
game  for  the  owners  of  good  performers. 

In  1915  The  Western  Washington  Experiment  Sta- 
tion induced  us  to  transfer  our  endeavors  to  state  work. 
We  have  consistently  used  the  artificial  lights  of  various 
kinds  in  the  work  here.  We  have  this  year  at  this  Sta- 
tion gotten  about  sixty  birds,  both  males  and  females,  hav- 
ing mothers  with  12-month  records  under  lights  of  280 
to  300  eggs  and  pullet-year  (16  months  laying  without 
molt)  records  of  293  to  356  eggs,  sired  by  a  2-year-old 
cock  with  a  266-es'g  mother.  These  mothers  are  two  and 
three  years  old  and  their  second-year  records  are  enough 
to  make  common  pullets  envious,  while  in  point  of  vigor 
they  all  are  fit  to  live  to  be  four  or  five  years  old.  Not 
only  have  these  young  birds  the  above  backing,  but,  just 
as  if  they  needs  must  show  it,  they  have  in  a  few  instances 
lines  of  such  beauty  as  could  well  grace  a  showroom. 

Editor's  Comment: — The  above  interesting  account 
was  written  expressly  for  this  book  on  "The  Use  of  Arti- 


ficial Light  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Production,"  the  man- 
uscript reaching  the  hands  of  R.  P.  J.  Publishing  Com- 
pany, October  20,  1919.  In  behalf  of  our  readers  and  of 
poultry  culture  in  general  we  thank  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoup 
for  the  account  of  their  experience  and  success  as  pio- 
neers in  this  productive  field. 

The  particular  attention  of  all  readers  of  this  book, 
who  are  students  of  domestic  fowl,  especially  along  lines 
of  high-egg  production,  is  directed  to  the  last  paragraph 
of  the  above  article  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoup.  It  is  fairly 
loaded  with  promise.  Undoubtedly  a  longer  workday  dur- 
ing the  fall  and  winter  months  of  each  season  means 
quicker  growth  and  development  on  the  part  of  pullets 
(also  cockerels),  an  increased  egg  production,  and  a  much 
larger  number  of  layers  that  will  pass  the  200-egg  mark, 
a  considerable  number  of  them  reaching  250  eggs  or  bet- 
ter and  a  limited  number  reaching  or  passing  the  300-egg 
mark.  Here  is  indeed  a  great  field  for  further  research 
and  advancement — for  record  keeping,  for  proper  hous- 
ing, for  correct  feeding,  etc. — Editor  R.  P.  J. 


Comparison  of  Methods  of  Managing  Pullets  for  Egg  Yields 


IN  THIS  ARTICLE  AND  THE  ONE  THAT  FOLLOWS,  MR.  AND  MRS.  SHOUP,  POULTRY  SPECIALISTS 
AT  THE  WESTERN  WASHINGTON  EXPERIMENT  STATION  AND  STATE  COLLEGE  OF  WASH- 
INGTON, GIVE  EXPLICIT  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  THE  HOUSING,  MANAGEMENT,  GENERAL 
CARE  AND  FEEDING  OF  WHITE  LEGHORN  FOWLS  "UNDER  LIGHTS,"  KEPT  FOR  HIGH  EGG 
PRODUCTION— IN  THIS  ARTICLE  THEV  COMPARE  "GOOD  FARM  CONDITIONS"  WITH  THEIR 
"SPECIAL  MANAGEMENT"  AND  GIVE  THE  RESULTS  IN  EGG  PRODUCTION- 
PRACTICAL      FEEDING      SCHEDULES      ALSO      ARE      GIVEN,      WITH      COST      OF       FEED,      ETC. 


EVERY  ranch  depends  upon  one  or  more  crops  for 
its  cash  income,  and  among  other  things  the  rais- 
ing of  a  goodly  flock  of  pullets  is  looked  upon  as 
an  investment  from  which  cash  may  be  expected.  Many 
are  disappointed  in  the  fall  and  winter  returns  from  these 
pullets,  and  if  this  happens  year  after  year,  finally  "chick- 
ens are  chickens,  and  don't  pay  anyway." 

To  remedy  this  disappointing  condition,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  get  the  possibilities  of  the  flock  clearly  fixed  in 
mind.  There  are  two  distinct  branches  of  the  work  that 
are  maintained  in  every  flock,  whether  recognized  by  the 
owner  or  not,  and  success  depends  upon  the  right  hand- 
ling of  these  two  factors.  One  factor  is  the  hens  or  fe- 
males over  one  year  old,  the  other  is  the  pullets  or  females 
of  this  season's  hatches.  The  function  of  the  hens  is  to 
produce  hatching  eggs  from  which  the  flock  is  to  be  re- 
newed. They  have  passed  at  least  one  season  of  laying 
and  have  presumably  produced  enough  eggs  to  warrant 
their  selection  as  foundation  stock.  The  function  of  the 
pullets  is  to  bring  in  the  cash  income  during  fall  and  win- 
ter, laying  enough  this  first  season  to  prove  themselves 
fit  for  the  breeding  flock,  and  also  to  give  the  owner  his 
share  of  revenue  above  the  cost  of  feed.  Any  flock  will 
lay  during  spring,  so  that  season  will  not  be  considered 
further. 

When  either  the  hens  or  the  pullets  fail  in  their  func- 
tions, the  business  becomes  lopsided  and  unprofitable. 
That  is,  if  the  hens  do  not  lay  fertile,  hatchable  eggs  that 
give  livable  chicks,  the  supply  of  pullets  gives  out,  and  if 
on  the  other  hand  the  pullets  fail  to  give  fall  and  winter 
eggs,  the  owner's  share  of  the  income  is  a  disappointing 
quantity,  often  none  at  all.  Just  now,  the  female  breed- 
ers must  be  allowed  (1)  to  complete  the  molt,  (2)  to  rest 
and  recuperate  vigor  after  the  year  of  laying,  (3)  to  ex- 
ercise and  hunt  hard  to  find  enough  feed  to  maintain  their 
bodies  until  spring  hatching  eggs  are  wanted. 
Can    and    Should    Lay    in    Winter 

For  the  purpose  of  showing  in  a  practical  way  how 
pullets  can  be  made  to  lay  eggs  as  they  should  do,  in  fall 
and  winter,  a  demonstration  of  two  ways  of  handling  them 
was  begun  at  this  Station  Novem'ber  9  and  continued 
throughout  the   season. 

A  flock  of  200  S.  C.  W.  Leghorn  pullets,  hatched  in 
January,  March  and  May,  was  holding  back  on  egg  pro- 
duction, only  40  being  in  laying  form  at  the  beginning 
of  the  demonstration  November  9.  To  make  clear  the 
fact  that  the  two  parts  of  a  flock,  one  the  fall  and  winter 


By  MR.  AND  MRS.  GEO.  R.  SHOUP,  Puyallup,  WaMngton 

money   makers    and   the    other   the   foundation    flock,   are 
separate  and  distinct,  it  is  well  to  state  that  none  but  pul- 


lets are  included  in  this  demonstration. 

Two  semimonitor  houses  of  like  size,  14x28  feet,  like 
construction,   and   like    exposure   were  used  to   house   the 
two   demonstration    flocks.     The   200   pullets   were   so   di- 
vided that  in  each  flock  were  placed,  November  9: 
Xl  January-hatched  pullets,  some  molting. 
39  March-hatched  pullets. 

24  May-hatched    pullets,    most    of   them    retarded 
in   growth. 

In  so  far  as  possible,  the  birds  in  the  two  flocks  were 
alike. 

The  flock  of  pullets  being  handled  under  what  might 
be  termed  first-class  farm  conditions  is  herein  designated 
as  Pen  1.  The  flock  being  specially  developed  to  produce 
the  maximum  fall  and  winter  egg  yield  is  known  as  Pen  2. 

So  taking  the  two  flocks  of  100  S.  C.  W.  Leghorn  pul- 
lets each,  the  point  in  question  was  this:  How  much 
money  could  be  made  above  expenses  on  Pen  1,  and  how 
much  on  Pen  2?  The  differences  following  in  both  the 
housing  and  handling  are  considered  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance in  showing  the  relative  profit. 

Pen  1  was  housed  in  a  semimonitor  type  of  house, 
with  open  front  and  without  curtain  or  outside  feeding 
trough  attached  (see  illustrations  on  opposite  page). 
Surrounding  the  house  is  a  good  green  clover  patch  150 
feet  square,  and  the  slide  entrance  door  for  the  birds  was 
open  at  all  times  after  9  a.  m.,  permitting  absolute  free- 
dom to  come  and  go.  Trap  nests  were  arranged  under 
the  droppings  boards  and  the  perches  suspended  from  the 
roof.  A  dry  mash  hopper,  a  grit  hopper,  a  shell  hopper, 
and  a  charcoal  hopper  were  kept  open  to  the  flock  at  all 
times,  as  were  also  clabbered  milk  and  fresh  water.  Clean 
straw  litter  was  kept  on  the  floor. 

Pen  2  was  housed  in  a  semimonitor  house,  originally 
an  exact  duplicate  of  the  one  used  by  Pen  1,  but  altered  as 
follows  for  the  demonstration(see  illustration  on  page  94). 
Twelve  18-inch  by  24-inch  windows  were  put  in  the  rear 
wall  under  the  droppings  boards,  to  equalize  the  light  on 
the  floor  by  day,  costing  $5.00.  An  unbleached  muslin 
curtain  was  hung  over  the  wire  net  front,  with  rolling  de- 
vice for  raising  and  lowering  it,  costing  $1.15.  An  outside 
mash  trough  was  put  the  entire  length  of  the  front,  un- 
der the  curtain,  costing  20  cents.  A  gasoline  lanternwas 
provided  for  lighting  the  house  mornings  and  evenings, 
costing  $6.00.  The  total  expense  for  the  material  for  the 
above  alterations  and  additions  amounted  to  $12.35,  and 
these  may  be  considered  permanent  improvements. 


COMPARISON  OF  METHODS  OF  MANAGING  PULLETS  FOR  EGG  YIELDS 


93 


The  changes  were  made  (1)  to  give  abundant  light  dur- 
ing working  hours,  either  day  or  night,  (2)  to  guard  fowls 
against  the  short,  unexpected  flurries  of  wind  and  storm 
that  interfere  with  egg  production,  (3)  to  lengthen  the 
working  day  to  that  of  the  spring  day,  (4)  to  supply  reg- 
ularly on  schedule  time,  in  a  sanitary  way,  such  materials 
as  were  needed  to  produce  the  manufactured  article,  eggs, 
(S)  to  develop  and  maintain  the  highly  efficient  winter 
egg-laying,  pullet. 

The  feeds  used  include  oats,  wheat,  cracked  corn,  and 
barley,  for  hard  grain;  bran,  shorts,  wheat  middlings, 
ground  oats,  corn  meal,  and  soy  beans,  for  ground  grain; 
and  fresh  blood,  ground  liver,  ground  fresh  bone,  fish 
meal,  meat  scraps,  and  clabbered  milk  for  animal  protein. 
The  selection,  however,  was  made  as  follows  and  fed  at 
the  time  indicated. 

Feeding  Schedule  of  Pen  1 
(Good  Farm  Conditions) 
Daylight:        6   quarts   mixed   grain,    consisting 
of    three    parts    by    measure    of 
wheat,  one  of  cracked  corn  and 
one  of  rolled  barley. 
8:00  A.  M.:     4  pounds  clabbered  milk,  also  fresh 

water. 
Noon:  5  quarts  ^-inch  sprouted  oats,  ob- 

tained from  2J/^  pounds  dry  oats. 
3:30P.M.:     10  quarts  mixed  grain,  same  mix- 
ture as  the  morning  feed. 
All  day:  Hopper-fed   mash   made   by   mea- 

sure— 1  part  bran,  2  parts  shorts. 
2  parts  ground  oats,  1  part  soy 
bean  meal,  6-10  part  meat  scraps 
or  fish  meal. 
Hopper  containing  grit,  shell  aii'l 

charcoal. 
Free  access  to  clover  run. 
Cost  of  Feed  per  Week,  Pen  1 
168  pounds  mix^ed  grain,  at  $32.20  per 

ton    $2.70 

171^  pounds  oats,  at  $24.50  per  ton 21'^ 

20  pounds  dry  mash,  at  $32.40  per  ton 32' 2 

28  pounds   clabbered   milk,   at  20  cents 
per  100  pounds  05^ 


Cost  of  Feed  per  Week,  Pen  2 

105  pounds  mixed  grain,  at  $33.60  per  ton $1.74 

56  pounds  oats,  at  $24.50  per  ton 70 

45  pounds  mash  (sanded),  at  $34.40  per  ton n 

10  pounds  green  bone,  at  3  cents  per  pound 30 

Gasoline,  at  3  cents  per  day 21 

28  pounds  clabbered  milk,  at  20  cents  per  100  pounds     .05^ 


Total  ,...$3.77^ 

The  differences  in  the  management  of  the  two  flocks 
are  these — the  birds  in  Pen  1  were  supplied  with  plenty 
of  good  food  material  and  permitted  to  use  it  when  they 
chose,  and  were  also  permitted  to  get  wet  feet,  wet  plum- 
age and  to  hunt  or  roam  over  their  patch  of  clover  as 
they  pleased.     The  birds  in  Pen  2  were  completely  under 


5 :30  A.M. 
5:45  A.M. 


Daylight 
8:00  A.  M 


4:30  P.M. 
5:00  P.M. 
7:30  P.M. 


Total  $3.29i< 

Feeding  Schedule  of  Pen  2 
(Special  Management) 

Gasoline  lantern  lighted.  Drop- 
pings board  cleaned. 

16  quarts  sprouted   oats,   obtainel 

from  8  pounds  dry  oats. 
Lantern  turned  out. 

4  pounds  clabbered  milk;  also  fresh 
water. 

10  quarts  mixed  grain  by  measure 
— 2  parts  wheat  and  1  part 
cracked  corn. 

Lumpy  wet  mash,  5  lbs.  of  a  dr\- 
mash  mixture  made  of  2  parts 
by  measure  of  coarse  bran,  1 
part  wheat  middlings,  1  part 
corn  meal,  1  part  soy  bean  or 
proteina,  12  quarts  of  medium- 
sharp  sand  to  each  sack  of  bran 
used,  1/2  part  of  fish  scrap  or 
meat  scrap,  well  mixed,  wet  with 
water  salted  as  for  cooking  pur- 
poses. Ten  pounds  of  green 
bone  were  used  a  week  in  this 
mash  each  of  the  first  three 
weeks  of  the  demonstration. 
Since  then,  2  pounds  of  green 
bone  has  been  fed  once  a  week 
and  one  pint  of  fresh  blood  sub- 
stituted the  other  six  days. 

Lantern  lighted. 

Water. 

Kale — two  large  stalks  or  enough 
small  ones  to  equal  them. 

Lantern    turned    out.      Farm    lan- 
tern hung  five  or  ten  minutes  to 
show  the  way  to  the  perches. 
Bran  (coarse)  in  hopper;  also  grit, 
shell,   charcoal,  in  hoppers. 


House  here  shown  is  the  one  in  whicli  w 
periment  deserihed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoup.  A- 
ing  location  of  windows  and  open  front.  C- 
fowls  on  perches,  while  their  more  fortunate 
under  artificial  light,  eating  kale,  and  getting 
(See  illustration  on  next  page.) 


WEST    WASHIXGTON 


IS  kept  the  nonlighted  pen  in  ex- 
— rear  view.  B — front  view,  show- 
-flashlight  view  (8  p.  m.)  with 
companions  are  still  scratching 
ready  for  another  productive  day^ 


94 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


the  control  of  the  human  hand.  Their  feed  was  of  no  bet- 
ter quality  than  that  given  Pen  1,  but  it  was  somewhat 
more  varied.  What  and  when  the  birds  ate  was  controlled. 
They  were  cordially  invited  to  rise  at  S;30  a.  m. — induce- 
ment: bright  light,  kale  (remainder  from  evening  feed), 
grain  in  litter,  and  perhaps  a  few  bites  of  mash  in  the 
trough.  Their  morning  grain  feed  was  an  inviting  form  of 
a  staple  grain  (oats)  with  the  indigestible  hull  softened 
and  the  germ  alive  and  growing,  almost  as  good  as  dig- 
ging up  my  lady's  flower  garden.  Being  a  bulky  form  of 
feed  it  was  gone  before  supper  time,  so  that  the  appetites 
were  keen  for  a  heavy  grain  feed  at  3:30  p.  m.  Dessert 
came  on  a  little  later  as  a  balanced  ration — wet  mash  with 
green   bone   or  fresh   blood  added,  and  after  a  couple  of 


HOUSE    OCCUPIED 


Thii 


tion  on  page  93)  but  had  a  n 
up  when  photo  was  taken),  a 
pings  platform.  Note  the  gas 
It  has  been  dark  outside  for  ■< 
mating  and  taking  healthful  e 


LIGHTED    PEN    IN    MR.    AND    MBS     SHOUP'S 

EXPERIMENTS 
the   one  iii  cupied  b\    unlighted  pens    (see  illustra- 


the  open  front  (partially  rolled 
th  windows  in  rear  under  drop- 
hhght  view  taken  at  8:15  p.  m. 
le  hens  are  still  busily  engaged. 


hours  of  rest  their  only  green  feed  of  the  day  was  of- 
fered, with  bright  lantern  light  still  on.  They  were  told 
to  go  to  bed  at  8:30  p.  m.  by  substituting  a  farm  lantern 
for  the  gasoline  one.  From  start  to  finish  they  were  kept 
shut  in  the  house  and  were  permitted  to  do  only  such 
things  as  are  known  to  make  for  health  and  egg  laying. 
They  were  treated  as  high-grade,  well-handled  machines, 
worth  the  owner's  best  care  and  attention. 

Each  house  had  twenty  pullets  in  good  laying  form 
November  9,  and  each  flock  produced  three  eggs  on  that 
day  and  nine  eggs  the  next.  From  that  time  the  results 
began  to  differ,  as  shown  in  the  weekly  egg,  records. 

The  first  eight  weeks  Demonstration  Pen  No.  1  had 
the  freedom  of  a  yard  and  had  as  good  conditions  both  in 
housing  and  feeding  as  the  best  farm  flock.  Dem- 
onstration Pen  No.  2  during  the  entire  time  was 
confined  and  had  special  housing  and  feeding  as 
explained  in  detail  in  the  January  bulletin. 

However,  to  demonstrate  that  the  birds  in 
Pen  No.  1  were  capable  of  laying  more  eggs  un- 
der gradually  increasing  advantages,  certain 
changes  were  made  in  their  housing  and  man- 
agement. While  December  ended  with  regula- 
tion Coast  weather,  January  offered  entirely  dif- 
ferent conditions.  It  snowed  New  Year's  day 
and  kept  it  up  several  days,  and  up  to  January 
20th  snow  and  unusual  cold  weather  continued. 
The  birds  in  Pen  No.  1  were  so  uncomfort- 
able that  January  2  it  was  decided  to  keep  them 
shut  in  their  house.  This  had  a  decided  effect, 
increasing  the  egg  production,  as  will  be  seen 
in  the  report  for  the  ninth  week.  Since  they 
could  no  longer  get  their  own  green  feed,  they 
were  furnished  one  large  mangel  or  two  small 
ones  a  day.  These  were  split  lengthwise  and 
hung  on  nails  on  the  end  walls  of  the  house, 
and  with  one  or  two  exceptions  these  mangels 
were  supplemented  daily  with  kale. 

The  continued  cold  weather  and  northeast 
wind  made  it  apparent  that  the  birds  would  'be 
less  likely  to  freeze  their  combs  and  wattles 
with  a  curtain  over  the  wire  netting  front,  so 
one  was  hung  on  January  13th.  Following  this 
date  the  feed  of  sprouted  oats  was  given  in  the 
early  morning  (at  daylight),  to  promote  exer- 
cise and  ward  off  colds  and  any  sluggishness  in- 
duced by  extremely  cold  nights. 

The  water  in  both  houses  was  kept  free 
from  ice,  and  the  chill  taken  off  twice  a  day  by 
adding  boiling  water.  None  of  the  fowls  were 
allowed  to  eat  anything  frozen.  The  soured 
milk  was  taken  out  of  the  compartment  over 
the  lamp  in  the  oat  sprouter  and  fed  at  once, 
which  made  sure  of  its  being  moderately  warm. 
By  these  changes  added  after  the  unusually 
cold  weather,  the  egg  production  in  Pen  No.  1, 
instead  of  falling  off,  really  increased.  Pen  No. 
2  followed  the  natural  course  in  periods  of  ex- 
treme weather  and  gradually  reduced  in  egg 
production,  due  partly  in  the  tenth  week  to  foul 
itter.  The  litter  being  damp,  the  sprouted  oats 
and  grain  froze  quickly  and  were  uninviting  to 
the  birds.  However,  the  total  egg  yield  of  each 
pen  increased,  and  despite  the  drop  in  the  mar- 
ket price  of  eggs,  each  pen  continued  to  show 
an  advance  in  profit  over  the  first  five  weeks. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  there  was  a  reduc- 
tion in  the  cost  of  feed  for  both  the  demonstra- 
tion pens.  For  the  first  five  weeks  the  weekly 
feed  cost  of  Pen  No.  1  was  $3.29>/^,  while  that 
of  Pen  No.  2  was  $3.77;^.  For  the  following 
five  weeks  the  average  weekly  feed  cost  of  Pen 
No.  1  was  $3.02,  and  of  Pen  No.  2,  $3.29.  This  is 
almost  wholly  due  to  the  fact  that  the  January- 
hatched  birds  in  pullet  molt  had  regained  their 
plumage,  and  those  of  the  May  hatch  had  fully 
matured.  These  two  needs  were  no  longer  ev- 
ident, so  the  ration  was  changed  by  slight  re- 
ductions in  various  feeds,  bringing  the  total 
costs   down  as  indicated. 


COMPARISON  OF  METHODS  OF  MANAGING  PULLETS  FOR  EGG  YIELDS 


95 


Pen  No.  1— Ration  Tenth  Week 
Per  day 

10  qts.  sprouted  oats  equals  35  lbs.  per  wk.,  at  $24.50....$  .43 
4  lbs.  clabbered  milk  equals  28  lbs.  per  week,  at 

20c    per    100 05 

10  qts.  mixed  grain  equals  105  lbs.  per  week,  at  $32.20..  1.69 
S'A  lbs.  mixed  mash  equals  22  lbs.  per  week,  at  $32.40    .36 


1  large  or  2  small  mangels  (split)  per  day. 
1  large  or  2  small  kale  stalks  per  day. 


$2.53 


Pen  No.  2— Ration  Tenth  Week 
Per  day 

10  qts.  sprouted  oats  equals  35  lbs.  per  wk.,  at  $24.50....$  .43 
4  qts.  clabbered  milk  equals  28  lbs.  per  week,  at 

20c  per  100 - OS 

8  qts.  mixed  grain  equals  84  lbs.  per  week,  at  $33.60..  1.41 

6  lbs.  mixed  mash  equals  42  lbs.  per  week,  at  $34.40 72 

1  pt.  blood  equals  1^4  qts.  per  week,  at  25c 11 

Gasoline,  3c  a  day 21 


1  large  or  2  small  mangels  per  day. 

1  large  or  2  small  stalks  of  kale  per  day. 


$2.93 


Statement— Pen  No.   1   (Without  Lights) 
First  Five  Weeks 

1st    week    76  eggs  at  4Sc  per  doz.  $2.85;  cost  of  feed  $3.29 

2nd  week  107  eggs  at  46c  per  doz.    4.10;  cost  of  feed  3.29 

3rd  week  128  eggs  at  4Sc  per  doz.-  4.80;  cost  of  feed  3.29 

4th  week  155  eggs  at  43c  per  doz.     5.55;  cost  of  feed  3.4S 

5th  week  186  eggs  at  42c  per  doz.    6.51;  cost  of  feed  3.45 

652  $23.81  $16.77 

Profit  over  cost  of  feed,  $7.04. 

Statement — Pen  No.   1 — Second  Five  Weeks 

6th  week  194  eggs  at  38c  per  doz.  $6.14;  cost  of  feed  $3.45 
7th  week  191  eggs  at  36c  per  doz.  5.73;  cost  of  feed  3.29 
8th  week  230  eggs  at  34c  per  doz.  6.52;  cost  of  feed  3.29 
9th  week  264  eggs  at  33c  per  doz.  7.26;  cost  of  feed  2.53 
10th  week  270  eggs  at  33c  per  doz.    7.42;  cost  of  feed    2.53 

U49  $33.07  $15.09 

Profit  over  cost  of  feed,  last  five  weeks $17.98 

Profit  over  cost  of  feed,  first  five  weeks 7.04 


Statement— Pen  No.  2  (With  Lights) 
First  Five  Weeks 

1st  week    97  eggs  at  45c  per  doz.  $3.64;  cost  of  feed  $3.62 

2nd  week  223  eggs  at  46c  per  doz.    8.53;  cost  of  feed  3.77 

3rd  week  392  eggs  at  45c  per  doz.  14.70;  cost  of  feed  4.12 

4th  week  414  eggs  at  43c  per  doz.  14.84;  cost  of  feed  4.23 

Sth  week  466  eggs  at  42c  per  doz.  16.31;  cost  of  feed  4.23 

1,592  $58.02  $19.97 

Profit  over  cost  of  feed,  $38.05. 

Statement— Pen  No.  2— Second  Five  Weeks 

6th  week  485  eggs  at  38c  per  doz.  $15.35;  cost  of  feed  $3.88 
7th  week  477  eggs  at  36c  per  doz.  14.31;  cost  of  feed  3.36 
8th  week  463  eggs  at  34c  per  doz.  13.11;  cost  of  feed  3.36 
9th  week  442  eggs  at  33c  per  doz.  12.15;  cost  of  feed  2.93 
10th  week  421  eggs  at  33c  per  doz.    11.57;  cost  of  feed    2.93 

2,288  $66.49  $16.46 

Profit  over  cost  of  feed,  first  five  weeks .$38.05 

Profit  over  cost  of  feed,  last  five  weeks 50.03 

Total $88.08 

All  the  station  flocks  not  included  in  the  foregoing 
demonstration  were  confined  during  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber, and  the  open  fronts  of  the  poultry  houses  were  fit- 
ted with  muslin  curtains.  December  1st  found  most  of 
the  pullets  quite  well  matured  but  not  many  of  them  lay- 
ing. Most  of  the  hens  had  completed  the  molt  but  prac- 
tically none  of  them  were  laying.  December  6th  lanterns 
were  hung  in  all  of  the  houses,  and  the  feeding  schedule 
followed  with  Demonstration  Pen  No.  2  was  adopted. 

The  station  flocks,  not  including  the  demonstration 
pens,  consist  of  70  Orpington  pullets,  19  Orpington  hens, 
56  Barred  Rock  pullets,  20  Barred  Rock  hens,  247  S.  C.  W. 
Leghorn  hens,  6  White  Wyandotte  pullets,  making  a  total 
of  418. 

These  birds  were  in  two  compartment  houses,  each 
breed  being  penned  separately,  the  hens  and  pullets  of 
each  breed  likewise  being  in  separate  pens.  The  weekly 
production  of  these  birds  (286  hens  and  132  pullets),  be- 
ginning December  6,  follows: 

1st  wk.  2nd  wk.  3rd  wk.  4th  wk.  Sth  wk,  6th  wk. 


..144 
..239 


..$25.02 


Hens.  - 
Pullets 


Total    383 

Aver,    per    day... .54 


447 
325 


786 

487 


551 


664 


HEN  WITH  UNIFORM  CYCLES  AND  UNIFORM  RHYTHM 
The  two  terms  used  above  describe  respectively,  the  frequency  and  regul; 


ft  day.    Rhythm  is  the  uniformity  and  rate  of  repetition  of  the  cycli 

egg  record  is  shown  in  above  illustration  began  laying  in  November  -^ 

— sometimes  four,  and  these  cycles  were  regularly  repeated  with  a  i: 

day  between.     During  the  winter  her  cycle  was  reduced  to  two,  but  these  were  repeated  regu 

larly  with  the  lapse  of  only  a   single  day,   showing  unusually  good  rhythm  during  these  two 

months.      In   the   heavy  producing   season  her  cycles   averaged  longer,   but  rhythmic  repetition 


thout  missing 

The  hen  whose  daily 

cycle  of  three  eggs 

form  lapse  of  only 


of  the 


(By  courtesy  of  the  New  Jersey  Agricultural  Exper 


772     1,273      1,540         1,750     1,507 
110        181        220  250        215 

The  total  egg  production  of  the 
418  birds  for  the  six  weeks  amoonted 
to  20  cases  of  30  dozen  eggs  each. 
During  this  period  all  the  flock,  both 
hens  and  pullets,  were  fed  alike  and 
this  will  naturally  raise  the  question 
of  the  advisability  of  such  a  procedure. 
The  need  of  having  practically  all 
the  breeders  laying  showed  plainly. 
These  birds  had  to  be  gotten  i.ito  lay- 
ing prior  to  the  date  when  hatching 
eggs  will  be  needed,  as  the  first  eggs 
are  liable  to  run  irregular  in  form  and 
shell.  As  soon  as  the  Coast  weather 
conditions  return,  the  breeders  which 
have  already  struck  their  normal  laying 
gait  will  be  put  on  the  breeders'  ration. 

When  the  workday  was  length- 
ened for  these  birds,  hens  and  pullets, 
by  the  use  of  lights,  and  their  ration 
was  adapted  to  their  needs,  and  fed 
according  to  a  regular  schedule,  they 
began  responding  at  once.  While  they 
were  giving  only  a  13  per  cent  egg 
yield  a  day  the  first  week,  they  yield- 
ed 26  per  cent  the  second  week,  43  per 
cent  the  third  week,  53  per  cent  the 
fourth  week,  60  per  cent  the  fifth 
week,  and  51  per  cent  the  sixth  week, 
notwithstanding  that  severe  winter 
weather  prevailed  the  last  four  weeks. 

NOTE:  Above  article  is  reprinted  from 
The  Monthly  Bulletin  of  the  Agricultural  Ex- 
periment Station,  State  College  of  Washing- 
ton, January  and  February  1916. 


Essentials  for  Getting  Fall  and  Winter  Eggs 

IN  THE  FOLLOWING  ARTICLE  MR.  AND  MRS.  SHOUP  GIVE  GENERAL  INFORMATION  FOR 
THE  BENEFIT  OF  POULTRY  KEEPERS  WHO  WISH  TO  KNOW  SOME  OF  THE  EVERYDAY 
ESSENTIALS  FOR  SECURING  EGGS  DURING  THE  FALL  AND  WINTER  MONTHS,  WITH 
OR  WITHOUT  "LIGHTS,"  BUT  ESPECIALLY  WHERE  "LIGHTS"  ARE  USED— THEY  TELL 
WHAT  TO  FEED,  WHEN  TO  FEED,  AND  HOW  TO  FEED  IN  ORDER  TO 
GET  PROLIFIC  EGG  YIELDS— THESE  TWO  POULTRY  INVESTIGATORS  SPEAK 
AND  WRITE  FROM  PRACTICAL  EXPERIENCE  —  THEY  HAVE  PUT  THEIR  THEORIES 
TO    THE    TEST    AND    THEREFORE    ARE     IN     A     POSITION     TO      GIVE     SOUND     ADVICE 


By  MR.  AND  MRS.  GEO.  R.  SHOUP,  Puyallup,  ffaihitigic 


EVERY  owner  of  poultry  is  vitally  interested  in  get- 
ting eggs  at  this  season.  It  is  well  worth  while 
to  study  the  flock  on  hand  now  (early  fall)  first  to 
discover  its  possibilities,  and  second  to  provide  for  its 
needs.  Knowing  that  the  hens  can  be  expected  to  produce 
not  more  than  10  per  cent  during  the  next  three  months 
shows  that  the  pullets  (females  hatched  this  spring)  must 
be  the  money  producers  during  this  season. 

The  skill  shown  in  mating,  hatching  and  raising  this 
year's  flock  will  now  manifest  itself  in  the  well-matured, 
happy,  industrious  young  pullets.  The  nearly  full-grown 
pullets  which  have  already  acquired  their  winter  feathers 
show,  upon  examination  on  the  perch  at  night,  full  large 


Protection  from  cold  winds. 
Ample  hard-surfaced  floor. 
Dust  bath. 
Sanitary  conditions. 


EGG  BECOED  OP  A  LAYING  HEN  WITH  GOOD  CYCLES 
The  hen  whose  egg  record  is  presented  above  laid  192  eggs  in  a  year,  and  during  the 
heavy-laying  season  had  a  cycle  of  three,  repeated  regularly  with  a  lapse  of  only  one  day 
hetween.  In  the  winter,  however,  her  cycles  were  one  and  two,  and  the  rhythm  also  was 
irregular.  Compare  this  record  card  with  the  other  two  shown  herewith,  one  of  which  shows 
much  better  cycle  and  rhythm,  while  the  other  is  decidedly  poor  in  both  respects.  Card  show; 
actual  trap-nest  production.     (By  courtesy  of  the  New  Jersey  Agricultu     '  '^ 


crops,  plump  breasts  and  vigorous  muscle  development. 
All  such  pullets  from  "bred-to-lay"  stock  will  use  to  the 
best  advantage  the  material  furnished  them  for  egg  mak- 
ing, and  where  housed  and  cared  for  intelligently  will  lay 
from  120  to  280  eggs  each  during  the  pullet  year.  By  Oc- 
tober first,  Leghorn  pullets  should  be  from  five  to  seven 
months  old,  and  heavier  breeds  from  six  to  eight  months, 
for  best  results. 

Housing 
The   essential  points   in   housing  for  winter   egg  pro- 
duction are: 

1.  Fresh  air. 

2.  Light. 

3.  Warmth. 


Fresh  Air,  the  first  requisite,  is  supplied  by  an  open- 
ing facing  the  direction  least  exposed  to  the  severe  storms,- 
combined  with  that  giving  maximum  sunshine.  This  open- 
ing should  extend  the  entire  length  of  the  laying  house 
and  should  be  at  least  four  feet  high.  The  southeast  ex- 
posure gives  the  maximum  early  morning  sunshine  in  this 
latitude,  but  east  or  south  exposures  will  give  satisfactory 
results. 

When  the  curtain  is  closed,  top  ventilators  are  neces- 
sary, as  sufficient  circulation  of  air 
cannot  be  secured  through  the  muslin 
curtain.  These  top  ventilators  should 
be  adjustable  to  suit  weather  condi- 
tions. Some  fresh  air  must  be  admit- 
ted at  the  bottom  of.  the  coop  also, 
either  from  the  windows  under  the- 
droppings  boards  or  from  some  bot- 
tom ventilators. 

Light  is  supplied  primarily  from 
the  front  opening,  and  the  coop  will 
be  sufficiently  well  lighted  when  the 
curtain  is  closed,  as  long  as  the  cur- 
tain is  clean.  When  the  curtain  has 
become  soiled  from  long  usage  the 
ght  should  be  supplemented  by  roof 
skylights  in  the  peak-roof  type  of 
house,  and  by  windows  over  the  op- 
ening in  the  shed-roof  type. 

When  the  days  begin 'to  shorten 
so  that  birds  cannot  see  to  eat,  arti- 
ficial lights  must  be  supplied  at  abuut 
6  a.  m.  These  are  used  to  piece  out 
the  daylight  both  in  the  morning  and 
evening.  The  light  best  adapted  for 
coop  lighting  w-here  electricity  is  not 
obtainable  is  the  gasoline  mantle  lan- 
tern. These  produce  a  very  goo  1  sub- 
Do  not  abuse  this  lighting  program; 


E.xperiment  Statio 

stitute  for  sunshine. 

too  much  light  at 'night  will  wear  out  the  fowls. 

Warmth  is  supplied  by  the  hens  themselves,  conse- 
quently the  roof  must  be  comparatively  low  and  air-tight 
to  retain  the  heat. 

'The  curtain  also  retains  the  heat  of  the  fowls  and  is 
closed  every  night  of  freezing  or  blustery  weather  as  well 
as  during  all  stormy  days. 

Protection  From  Cold  Winds.  A  high  windshield  in 
front,  even  if  the  opening  is  narrowed  to  thirty  inches  as 
in  a  well-known  type  of  house,  does  not  afford  sufficient 
protection  from  cold  winds  in  winter.  Without  a  curtain 
the  fowls  will  bunch  together  under  the  droppings  boards 
and  will  cease  to  exercise  more  than  enough  to  find  the  feed 


ESSENTIALS  FOR  GETTING  FALL  AND  WINTER  EGGS 


3. C  .White  leghorn. 


Oaklaiid  Faxra. 


^5 


)^X. 


necessary  for  existence.  Whenever  this  bunching  occurs 
the  fowls  are  uncomfortable  and  the  curtain  should  be 
closed  immediately. 

Hard-Surfaced  Floor.  The  hard-surfaced  floor  of 
boards,  concrete  or  asphalt  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
maintain  good  litter  conditions.  It  has  been  proved  on 
many  occasions  that  confined  fowls  will  not  maintain 
a  maximum  egg  production  without  the  use  of  good  clean 
litter,  and  it  is  impossible  to  keep  it  clean  on  earth  floors. 

Dust  Bath.  The  dust  bath,  which  is  always  accessible 
to  birds  when  on  range,  must  be  supplied  indoors  when 
fowls  are  confined.  This  must  be  placed  where  the  di- 
rect rays  of  the  sun  strike  it  at  some  period  of  the  day. 
The  dust  can  be  any  loamy  dirt  which  does  not  pack  too 
easily,  and  will  require  frequent  moistening.  Confined 
fowls  require  a  certain  amount  of  real  mud  to  eat,  and 
will  eat  droppings  if  this  is  not  provided. 

Sanitary  Conditions.  The  problem  of  sanitation  is  too 
large  to  discuss  fully  in  this  article.  It  consists  primarily 
in  keeping  everything  scrupulously  clean  and  free  from  ac- 
cumulated droppings,  of  daily  scrubbing  the  water  pails 
and,  most  important  of  all,  of  removing  the  litter  when  it 
becomes  damp. 

Feeding 

The  general  principles  underlying 
all  systems  of  feeding  are: 

First,  as  much  variety  as  possible 
and  an  abundance  of  feed. 

Second,  regular  times  for  feeding. 

Third,  long  enough  intervals  be- 
tween meals  to  insure  keen  appetites. 
With  Leghorn  pullets  there  is  al- 
most no  danger  of  overfeeding,  be- 
cause of  their  active  natures,  but  with 
the  heavy  breeds  it  is  quite  frequently 
necessary  to  close  the  dry  mash  hop- 
pers by  2  p.  m.  to  make  sure  that  the 
birds  will  eat  enough  grain  at  the  eve- 
ning feed. 

Early  Morning  Feed — To  make 
the  best  egg  record  possible,  pul- 
lets must  be  induced  to  get  up  early 
and  get  to  work.  The  sprouted  oats 
are  used  for  the  sole  morning  feed  for 
the  following  reasons: 

First,  sprouted  oats  are  more  pal- 
atable than  any  other  form  of  grain, 
and  if  fed  in  4  to  6  inches  of  dry  lit- 
ter will  insure  the  strenuous  exercise 
required  to  dry  off  the  sweaty  plum- 
age caused  by  the  birds  crowding  to- 
gether on  the  perches  for  warmth,  or 
to  bring  up  the  circulation  of  those 
birds  that  happened  to  have  been  too 
widely  separated  on  the  perches.  This 
exercise  is  the  only  natural  preventive 
for  many  of  the  intestinal  and  respiratory  diseases. 

Second,  sprouted  oats  are  probably  the  most  quickly 
digested  of  any  of  the  available  poultry  feeds  and  it  is 
quite  important  that  the  morning  meal  shall  have  been 
fully  digested  and  the  nourishment  assimilated  before  the 
afternoon  feed  of  hard  grain  is  given.  The  fowls  are  thus 
.certain  to  have  keen  appetites. 

Third,  sprouted  oats  make  a  welcome  variety  to  Mrs. 
Hen's  bill  of  fare,  which  in  too  many  instances  consists  of 
nothing  but  wheat,  varied  occasionally  by  dry  oats  or 
kafir  corn. 

Fourth,  sprouted  oats  are  the  cheapest  known  poultry 
grain  in  most  markets. 

Water  and  Milk.  The  hen's  egg  is  estimated  to  be 
from  68  per  cent  to  74  per  cent  water  and  it  is  or  should 
be  plentiful  on  every  poultry  ranch.  The  experienced 
feeder  will  make  sure  that  the  birds  have  fresh  water  sup- 
plied at  least  twice  a  day.  Clabbered  milk  is  far  more 
palatable  than  skim  milk.  If  the  latter  is  used,  feeders 
should  be  cautioned  against  giving  sweet  milk  one  day 
and  sour  milk  or  buttermilk  the  next. 

Buttermilk  is  preferred  to  the  clabber  by  some  feed- 
ers because  it  is  not  so  palatable  and  there  is  no  danger  of 
the  birds  eating  too  much  of  it  and  becoming  physiced. 
Six  quarts  of  clabber  to  the  hundred  birds  seems  to  be 
about  the  right  amount,  and  if  the  allowance  is  limited  to 


this  amount  there  is  no  trouble  from  this  source.  All  milk 
must  be  fed  in  clean  vessels  as  a  sanitary  measure,  milk 
being  an  ideal  culture  for  the  growth  of  disease  germs. 

Why  the  Wet  Mash  is  Not  Fed  in  the  Morning  or  at 
Noon.  The  wet  mash  when  fed  in  the  morning  is  highly 
relished  because  the  fowls  are  hungry  and  wish  to  fill  up 
with  the  least  possible  delay.  Because  of  its  consistency 
it  has  to  be  fed  in  troughs.  The  birds  line  up  and  eat  to 
repletion  without  one  particle  of  exercise  and  stand  around 
and  loaf  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  thus  retarding  digestion, 
taking  on  fat,  and  frequently  catching  cold. 

Objections  to  a  Square  Meal  at  Noon.  Many  feeders 
use  the  noon  hour  as  the  time  for  feeding  the  wet  mash, 
and  others  feed  the  sprouted  oats  with  long  green  sprouts 
or  green  feed  at  this  time.  The  principal  objection  to 
feeding  at  this  hour  is  that  the  edge  is  taken  off  the  ap- 
petites for  the  afternoon  feed  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  send 
the  'birds  to  roost  with  the  expanded  crop  so  essential  for 
the  eggs  the  next  day.  It  is  no  hardship  to  deny  the  hens  a 
noon  feed,  as  the  dry  mash  hoppers  are  before  them  all  the 
time  and  they  can  easily  consume  enough  of  this  balanced 
ration  to  last  till  the  heavy  grain  feed. 

Afternoon   Feed — Mixed   Grain.     The   heavy   grain   is 


9s  Irenton  JBnct.  New  Jersey. 


a.9 


a. 7 


4.2 


4.4 


^^ 


W 


U7 


jAI 


isl 


MOTat  -  Sept.  lat. 


EGG  RECORD  OF  A  HEN  WITH  POOR  CYCLES  AND  RHYTHM 
This  bird  was  a  poor  winter  layer  and  showed  no  uniformity  either  in  cycle  or  rhythm, 
except  for   a    short   time   during   the   heavy-laying   period.      Hens   with   poor   cycles  and   poor 
rhythm  are  rarely,  if  ever,  good  layers.     Card  shows  official  production.      (By  courtesy  of  the 
New  Jersey  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.) 


fed  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  always  in  clean,  dry 
litter  and  early  enough  so  that  the  fowls  will  have  ample 
time  to  exercise  and  eat  all  the  grain,  shell  and  water 
which  may  be  required  to  satisfy  their  appetites.  In  win- 
ter the  amount  of  cracked  corn  fed  to  the  laying  pullets 
is  increased  to  about  two  parts  wheat  and  one  of  corn, 
and  decreased  to  the  old  hens  to  about  one-fourth  part 
cracked  corn  so  that  the  latter  will  not  take  on  too  much 
fat.  Neither  dry  oats  nor  kafir  corn  is  palatable  to 
heavy  layers  and  both  are  largely  wasted  in  the  litter,  so 
even  at  the  increased  cost  now  prevailing,  wheat  and 
corn  are  the  cheapest  hard  grain  feeds  for  egg  production. 

Early  Evening  Feed — Wet  Mash.  Feeding  the  ex- 
tremely palatable  wet  mash,  containing  a  liberal  amount 
of  fresh  animal  food,  after  the  grain  feed  and  just  as  the 
birds  are  going  to  roost  is,  we  believe,  the  logical  time. 
By  feeding  it  after  the  grain  there  is  no  danger  of  the 
sour  or  packed  crop,  as  the  mash  is  worked  into  the  hol- 
lows between  the  kernels  of  grain,  and  the  crop  although 
expanded  to  the  limit  is  easily  flexed  by  the  muscles  and 
the  feed  is  passed  on  as  the  various  organs  require  it.  The 
wet  mash  affords  the  best  medium  for  distributing  and  feed- 
ing an  equal  amount  of  the  animal  protein  to  each  bird. 

iLights  for  the  Poultry  House.  The  cost  of  artificial 
lighting  varies  considerably.  Electricity,  of  course,  is  the 
most  convenient.     At  20  cents  a  gallon  for  gasoline,  the 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


gasoline  mantle  lights  cost  about  3  cents  a  day  to  oper- 
ate, or  less  than  one  additional  egg.  These  lanterns  will 
throw  a  sufficiently  strong  light  so  that  birds  can  see  to 
eat  the  grain  in  the  litter  15  feet  each  side  of  the  lantern, 
so  space  lights  IS  feet  from  the  end  of  the  coop  and  30 
feet  apart;  40-watt  electric  lights  should  be  spaced  about 
20  feet  apart  to  give  good  results. 

Night  Feed— Why  the  Kale  is  Fed  by  Artificial  Light 

Immediately  after  the  wet  mash  is  fed,  or  before,  if 
the  afternoon  is  very  dark,  the  lights  are  turned  on  and 
biddy  is  left  to  her  own  devices  until  about  half  past 
seven  o'clock,  when  the  kale  is  brought  in  and  fed  in 
racks  or  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  many  of  the  birds  have  gone  to  roost  at  this  time  in 
spite  of  the  brilliant  artificial  light.  The  green  feed  has 
been  kept  away  from  the  fowls  purposely  since  about 
twelve  o'clock.  If  any  was  left  from  the  night  before,  at 
this  time  it  is  taken  out  of  the  coop.    Thus  the  one  thing 


lacking  to  complete  the  full  ration  is  brought  on  several 
hours  after  the  crops  had  once  been  filled  to  the  limit.  All 
of  the  roosting  fowls  are  induced  to  come  down  and  fill  up 
on  the  succulent  green  feed.  The  kale  is  not  a  balanced 
ration  in  itself,  so  the  birds  will  also  eat  a  considerable 
amount"  of  hard  grain  and  dry  mash  to  balance  the  kale. 
Why  the  Birds  Are  Shut  In 
The  birds  must  be  confined  all  the  time  to  the  laying 
house.  Do  not  let  them  out  on  nice  days,  because  then 
they  are  continually  trying  to  get  out  on  stormy  ones  and 
are  discontented.  After  they  have  once  been  shut  in  for 
four  consecutive  days  they  cease  to  worry  about  the  bug 
outdoors,  and  after  several  weeks  of  confinement  more 
of  them  will  stay  in  the  house  than  go  out  when  given 
the  opportunity. 


October  and  November  1916. 


Maintenance  of  Eg^  Production  During  Winter 


IN  THIS  ARTICLE  THE  AUTHORS  DESCRIBE  AT  CONSIDERABLE  LENGTH  THE  PITFALLS  THAT 
ARE  IN  WAIT  FOR  OVERZEALOUS  OR  CARELESS  POULTRY  KEEPERS,  INCLUDING  THOSE  WHO 
USE  "LIGHTS"  AND  THOSE  WHO  DO  NOT-NATURALLY  IT  IS  NOT  ALL  SMOOTH  SAILING, 
OTHERWISE  BOOKS  OF  THIS  KIND  WOULD  NOT  BE  PUBLISHED  AND  ALL  POULTRY  KEEPERS 
WOULD  BE  HIGHLY  SUCCESSFUL,  WITH  THE  RESULT  THAT  EGGS  FOR  TABLE  USE  AND  POULTRY 
AS  HUMAN  FOOD  WOULD  BOTH  BE  A  DRUG  ON  THE  MARKET-INTELLIGENCE  AND 
EXPERIENCE  COUNT  IN  THE  POULTRY  FIELD,  JUST  AS  THEY  DO  IN  ALL  OTHER  WALKS  OF  LIFE 

BylMR.  ANDIMRS.  GEORGE'R.  SHOUP.  Puyallup,  Pf^ashingtou 


PRIDE  goeth  before  a  fall.  Just  as  soon  as  you  take 
time  to  congratulate  yourself  on  the  exceptionally 
fine  fall  egg  production  you  are  having,  prepare 
to  have  the  conceit  taken  out  of  you  by  some  unexpected 
condition. causing  a  slump.  Even  a  false  molt  may  over- 
take you.  In  anticipation  of  the  natural  difficulties  aug- 
mented by  special  local  conditions,  we  will  review  the  fac- 
tors which  make  high  egg  production  possible  in  Octo- 
ber and  November,  and  then  show  what  to  do  to  keep  it 
up  in  December,  January  and  February. 

Those  birds  over  a  year  old,  of  high  vigor  and  good 
type,  with  egg  records  of  150  or  more  for  their  first 
year's  laying,  are  not  considered  when  we  speak  of  fall 
and  winter  production,  it  being  assumed  that  they  are  go- 
ing through  the  molt  and  resting  prior  to  producing  hatch- 
ing eggs  from  which  next  season's  laying  flock  is  to  come. 
Do  not  mix  them  with  your  pullet  flock  of  fall  and  win- 
ter cash-income  birds. 

Review  of  Method  of  Getting  Fall  Production 

(1)  Use  matured  pullets,  preferably  March  or  April 
hatched,  taken  off  range  and  kept  constantly  in  the  house 
until  spring  breaks. 

(2)  A  house  flooded  with  daylight,  well  ventilated, 
having  a  good  dust  bath,  and  an  unbleached  muslin  cur- 
tain for  the  open  front;  artificial  lights  to  give  spring 
length  of  day;  and  ample  hard-surfaced  floor  space  cov- 
ered from  four  to  six  inches  deep  with  clean  litter. 

(3)  A  laying  ration  in  which  hard  grains,  mill  feeds, 
succulent  green  feed  and  animal  protein  are  rightly  pro- 
portioned. 

(4)  Maintenance  of  the  health  of  the  flock,  by  san- 
itation and  judgment  in  feeding  and  regularity  in  caring 
for  the  birds. 

And  bear  in   mind  that  to  get  50  to  70  per  cent  egg 
yields  from  October  to  December — to  bring  egg  production 
completely  under  the  control  of  the  caretaker  at  this  time, 
requires  the  combination  of  ALL  these  factors. 
Pitfalls 

The  first  and  hardest  problem  to  combat  is  the  dan- 
ger  of   a   too-high    early   production.      It   is   only   natural, 


when   eggs   are   soaring  and   the  poultryman  has  a   clear 
demonstration  of  the  effect  of  artificial  daylight  and  the 


lOFUCUI    sc 


Thii 


ANOTHER   HIGH  EGG   PRODUCTION   WHITE   ROOK 
photograph    shows    a    good     quality,      standard-^bred     VHiite 


th  Rock  that  laid  304  marketable  eggs  in  365  consecutive 
days  at  the  Missouri  National  Egg  Laying  Contest  for  the  year 
ending  October  31,  1917.  as  reported  by  C.  T.  Patterson,  in 
charge  of  the  contest.  This  bird,  without  being  put  in  show  con- 
dition, scored  92  %  points.  Note  her  remarkable  production, 
month  by  month,  for  the  year,  as  follows:  December,  23  eggs; 
January,  24;  February,  23;  March,  26;  April,  24;  May,  24;  June, 
27;  July,  28;  August,  30;  September,  28;  October,  24;  November, 
23.      No    "lights"  -    .       -  - 


iternational 


mg 


MAINTENANCE  OF  EGG  PRODUCTION  DURING  WINTER 


99 


rich  animal  protein  mash,  that  he  will  overdo  it  and 
crowd  the  birds  past  their  powers  of  assimilation.  The 
first  danger  signs  of  this  condition  are: 

1.  Birds  dying  from  ovary  trouble,  usually  a  broken 
■egg  in  the  oviduct,  for  which  there  is  no  cure. 

2.  Birds  becoming  lame  or  totally  paralyzed.  This  ail- 
TOient  is  often  falsely  called  rheumatism.  It  is  easily  cured 
by  placing  birds  in  a  box  by  a  hot  stove  and  allowing 
their  backs  to  get  thoroughly  warmed.  A  J^-grain  calo- 
mel tablet  for  a  physic  is  also  used  in  conjunction  with 
this  heat  treatment.  The  afflicted  birds  should  be  kept 
out  of  the  lighted  laying  house,  and  all  rich  animal  feeds 
restricted  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  so  that  they  may  re- 
cuperate. Kale  or  mangels  and  sprouted  oats  are  the  best 
diet  during  this  period.  The  cause  of  this  ailment  is 
thought  to  be  a  gas  pressure  in  the  intestinal  tract  due 
to  indigestion,  which  produces  a  condition  not  unlike 
cramps  in  humans.  This  trouble  will  be  more  prevalent 
in  cold  weather. 

Both  of  these  troubles  can  be  largely  controlled  by 
reducing  the  hours  of  lighting,  thus 
reducing  the  feed  consumption  and  as- 
similation; by  reducing  the  amount 
of  animal  protein  foods  and  increas- 
ing the  bulky  feeds — short-sprouted 
oats,  and  kale  or  mangels;  by  the 
addition  of  more  bran  in  the  mash  and 
a  reduction  of  the  corn  and  wheat 
proportionately. 

The  black-tipped  comb  is  a  sign 
of  indigestion,  usually  caused  by  an 
unbalanced  ration  of  too  much  wheat 
without  enough  fibrous  feed  such  as 
germinated  oats  to  carry  it  through. 
Too  much  starch,  as  in  potatoes, 
shows  the  same  black  flag.  Usually 
a  couple  of  J4-grain  calomel  tablets 
will  relieve  this  condition,  but  the 
cure  is  a  change  of  ration. 

The  white  or  pale  comb  is  harder 
to  combat.  It  is  a  sure  sign  that  the 
bird  is  working  past  her  power  of 
recuperation.  Too  much  blood  and 
vitality  are  demanded  by  the  intesti- 
nal tract.  A  good  physic  and  few 
days'  rest  in  a  quiet  place,  with  non- 
stimulating  feed,  is  the  best  treat- 
ment. 

The  birds  must  maintain  a  fair 
amount  of  flesh  on  their  breastbones 
to  keep  up  the  pace.  If  the  point  of 
the  breastbone  registers  what  Mr. 
Hogan  would  call  "two  out  of  condi- 
tion," with  perhaps  one-half  or  three-eighths  of  an  inch 
of  the  bone  and  skin  protruding  past  the  flesh,  this  is  a 
sure  sign  that  the  bird  is  drawing  on  its  stored-up  energy 
and  will  have  to  stop  laying  so  heavily  or  die. 

Another  sign  of  an  overtaxed  digestive  system  is  the 
false  molt.  This  will  occur  more  often  when  an  unusually 
cold  January  is  draining  the  vitality  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  digestive  organs  refuse  to  work  for  a  period,  causing 
a  partial  starving  of  the  fowl,  which  in  turn  causes  a  molt. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  try  for  an  abnormal  production  in 
very  cold  weather.  It  is  best  at  such  a  time  to  cut  down 
the  animal  food  and  the  high  vegetable  proteins  such  as 
soy  bean  meal  and  oil  meal,  and  to  increase  the  bulky 
feeds  at  the  expense  of  the  concentrates. 


Cleanliness  is  a  matter  of  first  importance  in  keeping 
the  fowls  healthy  and  productive.  This  means  clean  air, 
secured  by  good  ventilation.  It  also  means  clean  litter  on 
either  cement,  asphalt,  or  wood  floors,  and  a  good  dust 
bath,  which  reduces  the  labor  of  keeping  the  birds  free 
from  lice.  The  house  also  must  be  kept  clean  by  daily 
gathering  the  droopings  from  the  droppings  boards,  scrub- 
bing the  water  buckets,  and  frequent  renewal  of  litter. 
Wet,  dirty  litter,  accumulated  droppings  left  day  after- day, 
dirty  water  and  milk  dishes,  and  a  hen  house  infested  with 
mites  will  make  money  losers  of  the  best  flock  of  pullets 
ever  raised. 

Damp  litter  is  perhaps  the  greatest  menace  to  contin- 
ued egg  production.  Damp,  moldy  and  frozen  grain  al- 
ways causes  acute  indigestion,  and  such  a  condition  pre- 
disposes to  the  deadly  roup,  canker  and  chicken  pox. 

Roup,  canker  and  chicken  pox  often  start  from  a  cold, 
and  the  use  of  a  tablespoonful  of  the  following  germicide 
to  each  gallon  of  drinking  water  is  urged  for  this  reason: 

Pour  one-half  ounce  of  oil  of  sassafras  into  one-half 


HOW  CYCLES  AND  RHYTHM  ARE  PRODUCED 


This  illustration  shows  the  egg  organs  of  six  hens    also  their  ovaries  removed.    At  the 
bottom  are   given   sixty-day   trap-nest  records  made   by   these  pens.      This   illustration   is  pre- 
sented to   show  how   cycles   are   governed  by  yolk   development.      Hen   No.    1,    having   several 
yolks  rapidly  developing  at  the  same  time,  was  able  to  produce  cycles  of  good  length.    Along 
•with  good  cycles  this  hen  also  had  fairly  good  rhythm.     Hen  No.  6,  having  neither  good  cycle 
nor  rhythm  was  naturally  an  extremely  poor  layer.    Her  inferior  performance  is  easily  under- 
stood when   the   condition   of  yolk   development   in  her  ovary   is   noted.   Hen  No.   3   also   was 
rregular  in  cycle  and  rhythm,  but  her  cycles  averaged  longer  than  those  of  No.  6.     Nos.  4  and 
'      '    1  but  short  cycles.     No.  2  was  quite  irregular  in  both  cycle  and 
for  the  sixty-day  period  was  good  and  her  ovary  highly  active, 
ould  hardly  be  more  than  fair  at  best. 


5  had  generally  uniform  rhy 
rhythm.    While  her  production 
her  total  record  for  the  year 


gallon  of  water  and  shake  hard;  add  very  slowly  one-half 
ounce  of  sulphuric  acid.  Make  this  germicide  in  a  glass 
or  stone  vessel  and  keep  on  hand,  using  it  to  keep  the 
birds  from  getting  the  infection  in  the  drinking  water. 
Care  should  be  taken  that  the  solution  is  not  strong 
enough  to  make  the  water  distasteful,  as  a  lack  of  water 
consumption  reduces  both  size  and  number  of  the  eggs. 

Be  always  on  the  lookout  for  colds,  which  are  best 
detected  at  night  on  the  roosts.  Listen  for  the  sneeze  or 
cough,  then  identify  the  bird  by  the  labored  and  unusual 
motion  of  the  diaphragm. 

NOTE:      Above    article    is   reprinted   from   The  .Monthly   Bulletin 


Successful  Use  of  Artificial  Light  in  California 

PROFESSOR  J.  E.  DOUGHERTY  OF  THE  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA,  TELLS  OF  THE  USE  OF  LIGHTS  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  FARM,  DAVIS,  CALI- 
FORNIA-LATER ON  WILL  ISSUE  A  BULLETIN  ON  THE  SUBJECT-REPORT  ALSO  OF  W.  T. 
HADLEY,  PROPRIETOR  OF  OLD  IRON  SPOON  POULTRY  RANCH,  ONTARIO,  CALIFOR- 
NIA-IS A  STRONG  ADVOCATE  OF  THE  USE  OF  LIGHTS  ON  THE  BASIS  OF  PROFITABLE 
RESULTS    OBTAINED  -  FINDS    THAT    HIS    HENS    SING,    "LET    THERE    BE    LIGHT" 


UNDER  date  of  June  14,  1919,  J.  E.  Dougherty,  head 
of  the  Poultry  Division  of  the  California  College 
of  Agriculture,  replying  to  a  letter  from  editor 
of  R.  P.  J.,  asking  for  facts  about  the  use  of  "lights"  at  this 
institution,  replied  as  follows: 

"It  is  true  that  we  have  been  conducting  very  care- 
ful investigations  with  the  use  of  electric  lighting  to  in- 
crease the  length  of  the  working  day  of  the  laying  hen  in 
winter,  during  the  past  three  years,  and  this  work  will 
be  conducted  as  long  as  is  necessary. 

"Among  the  interesting  things  which  we  have   learned 

"First,  that  the  use  of  electric  lighting  in  the  morn- 
ing only  seems  to  give  just  as  good  results  as  the  use  of 
such  lighting  in  the  evening  only,  or  both  morning  and 
evening.  The  great  advantage  of  using  them  only  in  the 
morning  is  that  no  dimming  arrangement  needs  to  be  pro- 
vided, as  is  necessary  with  night  lighting. 

"Up  to  the  present  time  those  fowls  on  which  lights 
■were  used  at  night  only,  or  both  morning  and  night, 
molted  during  early  spring.  Those  fowls  which  were 
lighted  in  the  morning  only  have-not  molted  in  the  spring. 
We  have  used  the  lights  as  late  as  9  o'clock  at  night  and 
as  early  as  4:30  a.  m.  It  requires  approximately  one  watt 
per  hen  to  furnish  the  necessary  illumination,  provided  the 
lights  are  well  distributed  and  supplied  with  metal  re- 
flector shades. 

This  is  all  that  we  are  prepared  to  say  concerning 
electric  lighting  tests  at  this  time,  but  you  will  find  a 
very  complete  report  of  our  work  to  date  in  the  annual  re- 
port when  it  is  published.  There  are  certain  phases  of  the 
work  which  are  yet  to  be  cleared  up  before  we  will  pub- 
lish any  bulletin,  and  it  will  probably  take  us  a  year  or 
more  to  clear  up  these  points." 


Lighting'Hen^Houses  in  Soutliern||California 

By  W.   T.   Hadley,   Proprietor,  Old   Iron   Spoon   Poultry 
Ranch,  and  President,  Ontario   (Calif.)  Poul- 
try Association 

A  LTHOUGH  the  egg  farmer  of  southern  California  has 
-^*-  had  to  fight,  in  many  locations,  severe  eastern  winds 
from  the  mountain  passes,  yet  for  the  last  nine  years  he 
has  done  so,  even  at  the  cost  of  getting  up  in  the  night 
to  lower  curtains  or  windbrakes,  and  for  the  last  five 
years  the  wise  ones,  when  keeping  chickens  in  fruit  groves, 
have  placed  their  houses  on  the  far  eastern  side  of  their 
groves.  If  you  ask  them  why  they  do  so,  they  will  tell  you: 
"No  more  southern  exposure  for  us.  You  get  more  eggs 
from  an  eastern  exposure."  The  still  more  knowing  ones 
will  say:  "The  eastern  exposure  puts  the  rising  sunlight 
right  in  the  faces  of  your  hens  and  they  get  off  the  roosts 
earlier!" 

Some  of  us  learned,  years  and  years  ago,  that  a  white- 
washed interior  that  reflected  the  morning  light  from  wall 
to  wall  was  far  ahead  of  a  black,  crude-oil  splashed  house 
WHEN  IT  CAME  TO  GETTING  MORE  EGGS.  Then 
there  was  also  the  supposedly  "poor  chicken  nut"  who  ar- 
ranged numerous  bits  of  broken  mirrors  and  bright  strips- 
of  tin  to  reflect  the  light  towards  the  roosts.  And  yet 
we  SEE  IT  NOW — there  was  method  in  his  madness. 
He  was  just  about  thirty  years  ahead  of  the  rest  of  us! 

The  electric,  or  white  light,  has  proved  itself  beyond 
a  peradventure  of  a  doubt.  It  has  come  to  stay.  Of 
course  there  are  lots  of  folks  that  cannot  see  it  yet,  evert 
as  you  will  find  poultrymen  today  that  will  tell  you  that 
green  food  is  unnecessary.  But  the  day  is  soon  coming: 
when  the  breeders  and  hatcheries  will  be  strong  for  light- 
ed houses  for  breeders  as  well  as  for  layers. 

Did  you  ever  get  up  real  early  in  the  morning  before 


■^^^¥ 


SCENE   ON  A   COMMERCIAL   EGG  FARM   IN  PETALUMA  DISTRICT,    CALIFORNIA 
important  local    industry    in    different   parts    of    California. 


Lights   are    extensively 


SUCCESSFUL  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  IN  CALIFORNIA 


101 


WATER  STAND 


r^^^ Umh 

1^1 

\- 

1 

li 

J 

J     ', 

L_t 

sunrise  and  see  your  fowls  leave  their  roosts?  If  you  did 
do  so,  did  you  notice  anything?  Ever  see  them  stumbling 
around  in  the  semidarkness,  hunting  for  that  miracle 
worker — the  early 
first  drink  of  wa- 
ter? Ever  see  them 
stumbling  around 
mating  filth,  be- 
cause they  could 
not  distinguish  the 
.grain  from  the 
filth? 

Early  morning 
rising  in  the  winter 
means  a  healthy 
hen.  She  has  had 
her  morning  drink 
and  breakfast,  and 
is  on  the  way  to 
depositing  a  "ten- 
o'clock  egg"  long  SANITARY  WATEE  STAND 
before  the  hen  in  This  practical  holder  for  water  pail  is 
the  dark  hniic;?'?  convenient  and  easy  to  make.  It  keeps  the 
X  n  e  aarK  nouses  ^^^^^  j^^^  ^^^^  jjj^^^  ^^^  contents  are  read- 
knows  that  a  new  'ly  accessible.  Plenty  of  pure  drinking  water 
,  ,  ,  ,  must  be  provided  for  the  heavy-laying  flocks, 
day     has     dawned. 

After  several  years  of  "lights"  I  would  have  them  if  for 
no  other  reason  than  this:  because  I  am  quite  sure  that 
they  mean  hen-health. 

Work  Best  on  Poorer  Grade  Stock  As  a  Rule 

Some  of  us  who  are  advocates  of  the  lights  are  afraid 
that  people  who  quote  figures  on  increase  of  egg  yield 
do  the  cause  more  harm  than  good.  There  is  no  doubt  in 
our  minds  that  lights  are  a  success  and  that  they  pay, 
but  there  are  so  many  things  that  enter  into  an  egg  yield 
that  folks  should  be  careful  how  they  quote  figures.  If  we 
accepted  the  statement  of  every  enthusiast  who  guaran- 
teed us  a  ten  per  cent  increase  for  one  reason  or  another, 
getting  365  eggs  a  year  would  be  a  common  occurrence 
for  the  owner  of  a  single  hen. 

This  may  seem  like  talking  nonsense,  but  it  means  a 
good  deal,  nevertheless,  because  it  explains  many  of  the 
discrepancies  in  the  accounts  and  figures  of  the  different 
users  of  lights.  It  works  out  this  way:  generally  th  , 
best  poultryman  will  report  the  smallest  increase  in  egg 
yield  by  the  use  of  lights  because  on  account  of  his  knowl- 
edge of  poultry  he  would  get  more  winter  eggs  than  the 
other  fellow  anyway.  If  he  increases  his  egg  yield  under 
lights  eight  or  nine  per  cent  he  is  going  some.  Of  course, 
rememter  that  this  is  being  written  in  sunny  southern 
California. 

There  are  numbers  of  our  local  poultrymen  who  have 
sold  hatching  eggs,  all  July,  August  and  September.  These 
eggs  were  laid  ty  hens,  some  of  them  having  been  under 
the  light  system  for  four  years.  Now,  the  surprising 
thing  is  not  the  sale  of  the  eggs,  but  the  fact  that  they 
were  fertile  and  a  paying  proposition.  Not  only  has  there  not 
yet  been  proof  or  a  scintilla  of  evidence  that  the  eggs  un- 
der light  systems  were  not  in  every  way  AI  hatching  eggs, 
but  a  careful  observer  will  now  note  the  wind  blowing  from 
the  other  direction.  For  example,  our  own  hatching 
eggs  are  sold  until  next  June  1st,  1920.  This  is  only  men- 
tioned to  show  that  the  writer's  customers,  knowing  that 
all  his  breeders  have  been  raised  from  the  rustler  stage 
on  to  four-year-olds  under  lights  are  glad  to  get  his 
eggs  at  his  prices. 

I  ought  to  say  right  here  that  I  do  not  use  the  lights 
evenings  at  all,  and  in  that  way  am  somewhat  of  an  out- 


law on  the  light  question.  All  of  our  hens  go  to  bed  at 
nightfall.  They  are  not  kept  up  to  graze  in  the  night  air. 
Our  lights  go  on  at  3:30  a.  m.  (old  sun  time).  Any  old- 
t.imer  will  notice  that  when  he  starts  lights  his  feed  bills 
will  go  up.  His  hens  will  eat  more.  When  that  happens 
it  is  distinctly  up  to  him  and  cannot  be  charged  against 
the  lights  if  he  does  not  have  better  hen-health  and  more 
eggs. 

So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  the  men 
out  here  who  are  conservative,  hen-wise  husbandmen 
speak  well  of  the  lights  whenever  they  have  tried  them. 
But  conservative  men  are  always  slow  to  try  a  new  thing! 
They  prefer  letting  the  poultry  gamblers  blaze  the  trail 
while  they  stand  pat.  Now  the  time  when  lights  in  the 
hands  of  a  genuine  poultryman  were  a  gamble  is  past. 
There  are  many  strange  notes  in  the  music  of  the  dear  lit- 
tle hen.  I  think,  with  others,  that  she  also  sings:  "Let 
There  Be  Light." 

Later  Interesting  and  Instructive  Report  From 
William   T.    Hadley 

Writing  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  under  date  O'ctober  17, 
1919,  Mr.  Hadley  said: 

"In  regard  to  'lights,'  you  notice  that  I  said  in  the 
article  I  sent  you  earlier  in  the  month  that  I  do  not  think 
it  best  to  put  the  chickens  under  lights  at  night,  meaning 
not  too  late  in  the  night.  Now  I  do  not  have  this  pre- 
judice 'just  because,'  but  for,  to  my  mind,  good  and  suf- 
ficient reasons.  It  is  an  axiom  that  the  vitality  of  every 
living  thing  starts  to  leave  its  apex  and  decrease  from 
midday  to  sunset.  Post-mortems  on  humans  prove  this 
every  day,  everywhere!  From  noon  on,  living  things  be- 
gin to  exist  more  and  more  on  their  nerve  force,  until 
retirement.  In  the  stomach  of  humans  and  animals  that 
died  in  the  early  morning  is  found  the  undigested  food 
of  the  heavy  meal  eaten  the  night  before. 

"When  a  crea- 
ture sleeps  or  hi- 
bernates it  is  as 
near  dead  as  it 
can  be  without 
death.  The  lungs 
just  work  enough 
to  keep  the  heart 
going.  The  heart 
works  just 
enough  to  keep 
u  p  circulation. 
Pretty  nearly  all 
the  rest  of  the 
body  ■  is  at  rest. 
With  our  fowls 
the  early  morn- 
ing drink  and  the 
early  morning 
hunt  for  food 
give  the  exercise 
to  start  things 
going.  It  is  the 
early  morning  ex- 
ercise that  brings 
hen-health! 

"It  will  yet  have  to  be  proved  to  me  that  it  pays  even- 
tually to  overwork  anything  when  its  vitality  is  low,  ex- 
cept the  human  brain,  and  I  even  have  my  doubts  about 
that.  My  experience  has  taught  me  that  it  certainly  will 
not  pay  with  hens,  not  where  maximum  egg  yield  is  desired 
during  the  annual  period  of  highest  prices  for  market  eggs." 


FAMOUS    OREGON    HEN 

This  hen  had  just  completed  a  proud  record 
of  depositing  303  eggs  in  trap  nests  during 
twelve  consecutive  months.  Was  called  an 
Oregonian  and  consisted  of  seven-eighths  Leg- 
horn  and   one-eighth  Barred  Plymouth   Rock. 


Reports  on  Tests  of  the  "Lighting  System"  in  Canada 

INTERESTING  AND  PROGRESSIVE  EXPERIMENTS  MADE  TO  DATE  IN  THE  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL 
LIGHT  AT  THE  CENTRAL  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM,  OTTAWA,  CAN.,  AS  PART  OF  THE  DEPART- 
MENT OF  AGRICULTURE,  DOMINION  OF  CANADA-COVER  THE  USE  OF  LIGHTS  ON  BARRED  PLY- 
MOUTH ROCKS  AND  WHITE  LEGHORNS,  ALSO  THE  BENEFITS  OF  ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  ON  SEPTEM- 
BER-HATCHED CHICKS-EGG  PRODUCTION  RESULTS  WERE  PROFITABLE  IN  EVERY  CASE  AND 
BENEFICIAL  EFFECTS  OF  THE  LIGHTS  ON  LATE-HATCHED  CHICKS  WERE  TRULY   SURPRISING 


By  F.    C.  ELFORD,  Ottaiua,  Canada,  Dom 


TN  collecting  down-to-date  material  from  reliable  sources 
■*•  for  this  book,  editor  of  Reliable  Poultry  Journal  wrote 
W.  R.  Graham,  Professor  of  Poultry  Husbandry  at  the 
Ontario  Agricultural  college,  Guelph,  Canada,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Association  of  Instructors  and  In- 
vestigators in  Poultry  Husbandry.  Under  date,  July  30, 
1919,  Professor  Graham  replied  as  follows: 

"The  electric  lights  have  been  under  test  at  the  Ot- 
tawa Experiment  Farm  for  two  or  three  years.  Yotl 
could  get  a  copy  of  the  report  by  writing  Mr.  Elford  of 
the  Experimental  Farm,  Ottawa.  The  test  we  made  be- 
gan last  fall  and  of  course  would  not  be  complete  until 
about  the  1st  of  November  of  this  year. 

"We  attacked  the  problem  perhaps  a  little  differently, 
yet  at  the  same  time  in  a  manner  similar  to  what  the 
other  workers  have  done  and  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that 
we  have  the  final  answer  yet;  that  is  to  say,  the  work  so 
far  would  indicate  that  lights  are  of  considerable  value 
to  the  majority  of  laying  fowls.  I  am  not  positive  of 
their  value  to  birds  from  high-laying  strains,  or  birds 
that  are  hatched  in  time  to  be  ready  to  lay  when  the  win- 
ter comes  along.  They  are,  as  I  believe,  of  great  value 
for  later-hatched  birds  and  perhaps  for  old  hens." 

Acting  on  the  suggestion  of  Prof.  Graham,  we  wrots 
Prof.  Elford  and  in  due  course  received  the  two  reports 
which  follow,  including  the  tables  that  accompany  them, 
for  which  we  thank  Professor  Elford  in  behalf  of  the 
student-readers  of  this  book. 


FOR  some  time  it  has  been  a  question  whether  artificial 
light  in  the  poultry  house  was  a  benefit  or  not,  and 
to  help  solve  the  problem,  the  Poultry  Division  of  the 
Experimental    Farm    made   a    test    during    the    winter    of 
1916-17  with  two  pens  of  Barred  Rock  pullets.     Another 
test  was  made  during  last  winter  with  two  pens  of  Rock 
pullets  and  two  pens  of  Leghorn  pullets. 
1916-17  Test 
During  the  six  winter  months  of  1916-17  forty  Rocks 
were  divided  into  two  pens,  twenty  of  which  were  given 
light  in  the  afternoon  and  evening  during  the  short  days. 
Two  tungsten  40-watt  lamps  were  turned  on  before  dusk 
in  the  afternoon  and  turned  off  at  nine  o'clock  at  night.  In 
neither  case  was  the  yield  heavy,  but  the  lighted  pens  gave 
considerably  the  better  results. 

The  summary  of  the  two  pens  for  the  winter  of  1916- 
17  is  as  follows: 


No.  of  Total  Cost 

Eggs  Value  Feed 

Light     1106  $54.93  $22.33 

Dark       636  29.46  21.09 


Cost 
Light 
$2.40 


Cost  feed  Balance  Cost 

and  Light  perDz. 

$24.73  $30.20  26.8c 

21.09  8,37  39.8c 


1917-18  Test 

During  the  winter  of  1917-18  forty  pullets  each  of 
Barred  Rocks  and  White  Leghorns  were  selected  and  di- 
vided into  pens  of  twenty.  One  pen  each  of  Rocks  and 
Leghorns  was  given  light  and  the  same  number  kept  as 
checks.  The  light  was  turned  on  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber when  the  days  grew  short,  a  week  or  two  after  the 
pullets  were  put  into  their  laying  quarters.  The  light 
was  continued  until  the  middle  of  March  when  the  longer 
days  made  the  light  unnecessary.  The  light  consisted  of 
two  40-watt  lamps  for  each  pen  of  20  birds.    It  was  turned 


on  at  6  a.  m.  and  left  till  daylight,  turned  on  again  in  the 
afternoon  before  dusk  and  left  till  9  p.  m.  They  were 
just  ordinary  tungsten  burners  and  were  turned  on  and 
off  by  hand. 


CONVENIENT  TROUGH  FOR  FEEDING  MOIST  MASH 

A  daily  moist  mash  is  generally  fed  to  hens  under  lights.  Trough 

shown  above,   with  removable  board  partition  having  a   sharp  upper 

edge,  is  easily  cleaned,  and  fowls  cannot  get  into  it  or  perch  upon  it. 

The-  yields  were  not  high  in  either  case,  and  the  to- 
tal difference  in  egg  yield  in  the  six  months  of  the  1917- 
18  test  was  not  large,  but  the  forty  birds  with  light  gave 
a  balance  over  cost  of  feed  and  light  of  $77.64,  while  the 
forty  without  light  gave  a  balance  of  only  $55.95  over  cost 
of  feed.  This  difference  was  made  up  on  the  time  the  eggs 
were  received.  Those  with  the  light  gave  their  heaviest 
yields  in  December  and  January,  while  by  far  the  heav- 
iest months  for  the  Leghorns  without  light  were  March 
and  April  and  the  Rocks  January  and  February. 

For  early  winter  eggs  during  the  short  days,  the  light 
does  increase  the  egg  yield,  but  later  in  the  season  the 
yield  is  not  as  heavy  as  with  birds  that  have  not  had  the 
light.  The  advisability  of  using  light,  therefore,  will  de- 
pend upon  what  is  wanted.  If  early  winter  and  high-priced 
eating  eggs  are  the  object,  the  lights  are  an  advantage;, 
if  hatching  eggs,  the  lights  are  a  disadvantage. 

The  question  of  degree  of  fertility  also  comes  in,  and 
though  there  was  practically  no  difference  in  this  re- 
spect in  one  pen,  during  the  hatching  season,  we  are  not 
satisfied  that  the  light  has  no  injurious  effect  and  shall 
give  it  further  trial. 

The  summary  of  the  egg  yields,  the  value  and  the 
cost  for  the  various  months  during  the  experiment  are 
given  in  the  accompanying  tables.  The  last  part  of  March 
and  the  month  of  April  are  also  included  in  the  tables- 
for  the  purpose  of  comparison. 

TABLE    I— EXPERIMENTS    IN    THE     USE    OF     "LIGHTS"     AT 

POULTRY  DIVISION,    CENTRAL  EXPERIMENT  FARMS. 

OTTAWA.    CANADA 

20  White  Leghorns  With  Lights 


Month    No. 

Total 

Cost  of 

Cost  Feed    Balance 

Cost  of 

Eggs 

Value 

Peed 

Light 

and  Light 

IDoz. 

$  3.55 

$  4.76 

$   ^.20 

$  4.96     —$1.41 

83.8c^ 

Dec.      311 

18.14 

4.76 

5.16          12.98 

19.9c 

Jan.       276 

17.25 

5.57 

.40 

5.97          11.28 

25.9c 

Feb.      154 

9.62 

3.72 

.40 

4.12             5.50 

82. le 

Mar.      222 

11.10 

5.30 

.20 

5.50            5.60 

29.7c 

Apr.      215 

8.06 

3.80 

3.80            4.26 

21.2c 

$67.72        $27.91        $   l.( 


REPORTS  ON  TESTS  OF  THE  "LIGHTING  SYSTEM"  IN  CANADA 


103 


TABLE   II— EXPERIMENTS    IN   THE     USE     OF     "LIGHTS" 
POULTRY  DIVISION,    CENTBAL   EXPERIMENT   FARMS, 
OTTAWA,  CANADA 
20  Baxred  Eocks  With  Lights 


Cost  of 

Cost  Feed 

Balance 

Cost  o£ 

Eggs 

Value 

Feed 

Light 

and  Light 

IDoz. 

Nov.        78 

$  4.93 

$      .20 

$   5.13 

Dec.      349 

20.36 

4.93. 

.40 

5.33 

15.03 

18.3c 

19.81 

4.86 

.40 

5.26 

14.55 

19.9c 

12.06 

5.26 

6.40 

36.2c 

3.35 

3.95 

Apr:      138 

5.17 

4.44 

4.44 

.73 

38.6c 

Tot.     1221 

$68.60 

$27.57 

$   1.60 

$29.17 

$39.43 

28.6c 

TABLE    III— EXPERIMENTS    IN    THE    USE    OF    "LIGHTS"    AT 
POULTRY  DIVISION,    CENTBAL   EXPERIMENT  FARMS, 
OTTAWA,  CANADA 
20  Leghorns  Without  Lights 
Month     No.  Eggs     Total  Value     Cost  of  Feed        Balance    Cost  of  1  Dz. 
Nov.  16  $      .80  $  4.65  — $3.85  348.7c 

Dec.  123  7.17  4.65  2.52  45.3o 

Jan.  157  9.81  4.21  5.60  32.2c 

Feb.  165  10.31  5.07  5.24  36.8c 

Mar.  312  15.60  5.56  10.04  21.4c 

Apr.  322  12.07  4.37  7.70  16. 3o 


Totals 


1095 


$55.76 


$28.51 


$27.25  31.2c 


AT 


TABLE    IV— EXPERIMENTS    IN    THE    USE    OF    "LIGHTS' 
POULTRY  DIVISION,    CENTBAL   EXPERIMENT   FARMS, 
OTTAWA,  CANADA 
20  Eocks  Without  Lights 
Total  Value     Cost  of  Peed        Balance    Cost  of  1  Dz 
$   3.30  $   5.59  —$2.29  101.6c 

10.73  5.59  5.14  36.4c 

17.56  4.58  12.98  19.5c 

16.06  6.32  9.74  29.5c 

8.30  5.46  2.84  39.4c 

7.24  3.96  3.28  24.6c 


Month 

Not. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 


Eggs 


Totals 


1147 


$63.19 


$31.50 


$31.69 


32.! 


September-Hatched  Chicks  and  Electric  Light 

Electric  light  probably  shows  its  usefulness  as  much 
as  anywhere  in  the  growing  of  late-hatched  chicks.  The 
influence  of  light  on  a  bunch  of  September-hatched  White 
Leghorns  is  here  given  and,  though  there  was  no  check, 
the  growth  was  good  and  compared  very  favorably  with 
spring-hatched  stock. 

A  number  of  chicks  were  being  hatched  in  September 
for  an  exhibit  at  the  Ottawa  Fall  Exhibition  and,  though 
chicks  at  this  time  of  the  year  are  not  recom.mended,  it 
was  thought  worth  while  to  rear  the  cockerels  to  broiler 
age  and  the  pullets  to  maturity. 

The  chickens  were  hatched  from  September  7th  to 
14th  under  adverse  circumstances  owing  to  the  exigencies 
of  the  Central  Canada  Autumn  Fair  at  Ottawa.  The  eggs 
were  started  at  the  Farm  in  a  Buckeye  incubator.  They 
were  set  so  as  to  hatch  each  day  during  the  Fair.  About 
60  per  cent  of  them  hatched  in  the  original  machine  and 
the  chicks  were  put  in  a  hover  at  the  Fair.  The  remain- 
der were  carried  in  a  grip  to  the  Fair  and  placed  in  a  Cy- 
phers machine  to  finish.  A  number  of  the  eggs 
again  removed,  as  they  "pipped"  into  an  observation  in 
cubator  so  that  the  visitors  to  the  Fair 
could  see  the  completion  of  the 
process  of  hatching.  When  the  chicks 
dried  off,  they  were  placed  in  a  Buck- 
eye coal-burning  colony  hover  which 
had  been  fitted  up  for  heating  by  an 
electric  lamp,  as  coal  could  not  be 
used  in  the  building.  The  chickens 
spent  the  week  of  the  Fair  in  an  open 
run  eight  feet  square  in  the  exhibition 
hall.  On  September  14th,  they  were 
taken  from  the  Fair  to  the  Farm  dur- 
ing very  wet  weather  and  on  arrival 
were  weighed  (21  lbs.  14  oz.)  and  put 
under  a  colony  hover,  electrically  heat- 
ed, as  at  the  Fair. 


During  the  week  of  the  Fair,  the  chicks  were  fed  five 
times  a  day  on  a  mixture  of  toasted  bread  (ground  to  a 
powder),  chick-size  grit,  ground  charcoal  and  hard-boiled 
eggs.  In  addition  to  this  they  received  all  the  buttermilk 
they  wanted,  and  a  dry  mash  of  bran  and  ground  beef 
scrap  was  before  them  all  the  time.  During  this  week  it 
was  noticed  that  there  were  always  some  of  the  chicks 
feeding  at  all  hours  of  the  night,  the  light  from  the  lamp 
used  in  heating  the  brooder  enabling  them  to  see  the 
feed.  When  the  chicks  were  taken  to  the  Farm  they  were 
fed  the  first  two  weeks,  in  addition  to  the  above,  a  good 
heavy  meal  of  scratch  feed  each  night  at  ten  o'clock. 
This  night  feed  was  appreciated  so  much  that  it  was 
made  a  permanent  affair.  From  the  third  to  the  sixth 
week  the  ration  was  chick  feed  in  litter,  and  a  mash  con- 
sisting of  equal  parts  of  bran,  sifted  oats,  and  beef  scrap 
was  before  them  all  the  time.  Buttermilk  was  given  ad 
lib.,  and  grit,  shell,  charcoal  and  beef  scrap  was  always 
in  an  available  hopper.  No  water  was  given.  From  the 
seventh  to  the  tenth  week,  the  feed  consisted  of  ordinary 
scratch  feed  four  times  a  day,  with  a  dry  mash  of  equal 
parts  of  bran,  sifted  oats,  cornmeal  and  half-part  linseed 
meal,  before  them  all  the  time. 


Hatched  Week  Ending  Sept.  14  at  the  Autumn  Fair 

Weight  Sept.  14,  215  chickens  21  lbs.   14  oz. 

Weight  of  108  pullets  Nov.  5 123   lbs. 

Weight  of  100  cockerels  Nov.  5  130  lbs. 


Weight  of  100  cockerels  Dec.  6 228  lbs.     4  oz. 

Total    .'. 444  lbs.     4  oz. 

On  Nov.  5th  the  pullets  and  cockerels  were  separated, 
and  on  Nov.  16th  the  latter  were  placed  on  a  fattening 
ration  which  was  continued  until  Dec.  6th,  when  they 
were  sold.  Gains  made  by  the  cockerels  during  this  pe- 
riod were  as  follows: 


Gained 


59  lbs. 


DEBIT 


CREDIT 
Feed  Sale  of  100  ckls. 

Scratch  feed,  1131  lbs.,  $72  ton $40.72    205  lbs.  (Live 

Bran,  125  lbs.,   $40  ton  2.50     weight,       228 

Linseed  meal,  12  lbs.,  5  cents  per  lb.....       .60     lbs.)     $102.50 

Beef  scrap,   128%   lbs.,  5  cents  per  lb.     6.44  101    pullets    on 
Sifted  oats  94%   lbs.  $1.10  per  34  lbs.     3.06     hand      (216 

Crushed  oats,  50  lbs.,  $3.25  per  cwt 1.63 

Cornmeal,  134  lbs.,  $3.25  per  cwt 4.36 

Oatmeal,   134  lbs.,   $5.00  per  cwt 6.70 

Ground  screenings,  134  lbs.,  $2  per  cwt.     2.68 


1943  lbs.  4  oz. 

Milk,  2205  lbs.  at  50  cents  per  cwt 

Grit,  shell,  charcoal,  36  lbs.  3c  per  lb. 


$68.69 
11.08 
1.08 


VIEW    OF    PORTION    OF    POULTRY    PLANT    ON    CENTRAL    EXPERIMENTAL    FARMS, 
OTTAWA,  CANADA 

of    the    Dominion    Department    of   Agriculture.      It 
lights"   referred  to  in  this  article  were  conducted. 


Use  of  Artificial  Light  in  European  Countries 


EVIDENTLY  TO  DATE  ( LATE  IN  1919  )  EUROPEAN  COUNTRIES  HAVE  DONE  PRACTICAL- 
LY NOTHING  IN  THE  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  [N  POULTRY  HOUSES  TO  INCREASE 
EGG  PRODUCTION  DURING  THE  SHORT-DAY  PERIOD  OF  EACH  SEASON-HEREVi^ITH  IS 
INFORMATION    ON   THE   SUBJECT   AS    COLLECTED    FOR   PUBLICATION  IN  THIS  BOOK 


By  MR.  EDf^ARD  BROWN,  F. 


L.   S.,   London,  England. 


UNDER  date  of  April  23,  1919,  Mr.  Edward  Brown, 
London,   England,   Europe's   leading  authority  on 
poultry  subjects  of  a  practical  nature,  replying  to 
a  question  asked  by  editor  of  R.  P.  J.,  wrote  as  follows: 

"So  far  as  use  of  'Artificial  Illumination  to  Increase 
Winter  Egg  Production'  is  concerned,  I  am  unaware  of 
any  experience  in  that  direction  (over  here)  up  to  the 
present,  but  anticipate  that  the  system  will  be  given  a 
trial.  Forthat  reason  I  have  paid  a  good  deal  of  attention 
to  it  during  my  last  two  visits  to  America,  in  1917  and 
191S.  The  evidence  obtained  was  remarkable,  and  I  saw 
it  both  east  and  west.  Also  I  have  followed  very  care- 
fully the  articles  on  the  subject  appearing  in  R.  P.  J. 
There  are  several  factors  in  connection  with  it  which  de- 
serve careful  observation  and  experimentation,  more  es- 
pecially as  to  the  breeding  value  of  birds  so  treated.  I 
was  somewhat  surprised  to  learn  that  in  one  or  two 
cases  there  had  been  no  harmful  influence  in  that  direc- 
tion, as  the  weight  of  evidence  appeared  to  be  the  other 
way.  How  far  it  must  be  reserved  for  layers  and  only 
layers  is  the  point." 

ADDRESS  BY  MR.  BROWN  BEFORE  INTERNA^ 

TIONAL  POULTRY    CONFERENCE 

London,  England,  March  11-15,  1919 

March  11-15  in  London,  England,  was  held  an  Inter- 
national Poultry  Conference,  under  the  auspices  of  the  In- 
ternational Association  of  Poultry  Instructors  and  Investi- 
gators, at  which  conference  Mr.  Brown  read  a  paper  or 
made  a  report,  as  follows,  on  the  use  of  artificial  light  in 
poultry  houses  in 
the  United  States 
t  o  increase  egg 
production: 

"Then  another 
point  which  trou- 
bles us  here,  just 
as  much  as  every- 
where else,  is  that 
hens,  in  spite  of  all 
we  do,  taking  them 
in  the  main,  will 
lay  more  eggs  in 
spring  than 
winter.  If 
would  only 
when  eggs 
and   dearest     in 


WORLD  EGG  RECORD 


n  the 
hens  ■ 
lay 
were 
price, 
o  u  1  d 


To  the  best  of  our  knowledge,  t 

honor  belongs  to  this  Black  Orpington  hen  11-  „,,-_„„„? 

lustrated  herewith.    She  laid  335  eggs  in  365  everyone 

days  at  the  Australian  Government  Egg  Lay-  make  more  money, 

ing  Contest.  Her  eggs  averaged  26%   o^.  doz.  ^^^^       ^^^       ^^^^^ 

ago,  Mr.  Shoup,  whom  I  met  in  the  State  of  Washington, 
discovered  that  when  poultry  houses  were  lighted  morning 
and  evening  he  got  many  more  eggs.  From  that  fact  there 
has  been  developed  a  system  which  has  had  the  most  mar- 
velous results. 

104 


"I  cannot  now  go  into  the  details,  but  found  east  and 
west — more  in  the  west  than  in  the  east,  but  it  is  increas- 
ing there — that  the  commercial  poultry  farmers  in  their 
large  houses  are  lighting  them  either  by  electric  light, 
acetylene  gas,  or  ordinary  lanterns  and  the  results  are  re- 
markable. 

"One  man,  who  has  carried  this  out  at  East  Aurora, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  for  four  years,  told  me  that 
when  he  first  thought  of  testing  it  he  had  something  like 
2.100  pullets,  and  he  did  not  want  to  risk  his  best  birds, 
so  he  selected  the  inferior  specimens.  At  the  time — the 
test  commenced  on  December  2— these  were  laying  twenty 
per  cent,  that  is,  he  was  getting  twenty  eggs  per  day 
per  hundred  hens.  They  then  were  subjected  to  the  elec- 
tric light,  that  is,  500  of  them  were.  I  may  say  that  1,600 
hens,  the  best  hens  at  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the 
test,  were  laying  thirty-five  to  forty  eggs  per  day  per 
hundred  hens.  There  came  a  sudden  spell  of  winter 
weather — and  you  do  get  winter  weather  over  there;  I 
experienced  twenty  degrees  below  zero  last  February — 
and  they  had  a  severe  spell.  In  spite  of  that,  the  egg  pro- 
duction of  the  500  hens  that  had  light  rose  in  three  weeks 
from  twenty  per  cent  to  sixty-five  per  cent;  that  is  to 
say,  he  was  getting  sixty-five  eggs  for  every  hundred  birds. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  egg  production  of  the  1.600  hens 
which  had  not  the  light  fell  to  twenty  per  cent,  a  little 
more  than  half.  So  convinced  was  he  by  these  facts  that 
he  applied  the  system  of  lighting  all  around. 

"Another  man  told  me  at  Alfred,  in  New  York  state, 
that  he  was  getting  from  200  hens  early  in  December  only 
sixteen  eggs  per  day.  After  ten  days  of  artificial  light  the 
number  had  risen  to  thirty-three,  and  after  twenty-three 
days  to  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  eggs  per  day,  as  the 
result  of  an  application  of  light.  I  could  give  you  a  large 
number  of  examples  of  that  kind.  In  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington it  is  said  there  is  not  a  farm  that  has  more  than 
one  hundred  hens  which  does  not  apply  light  in  winter. 
IT  IS  A  TRANSFERENCE  OF  PRODUCTION  FROM 
THE  SPRING  TO  THE  WINTER. 

"This  system,  so  far  as  now  is  known,  should  not  be 
used  for  birds  that  are  intended  for  breeding.  As  one  man 
said:  'It  knocks  molting  into  a  cocked  hat.'  It  is  purely 
artificial,  and  I  should  not  advise  anyone,  from  the  ob- 
servations made,  to  select  any  of  those  lighted  birds  for 
breeding;  treat  them  as  layers,  and  when  they  have  com- 
pleted their  tale  of  eggs  they  will  have  done  their  work. 

"The  system  usually  adopted  is  this:  Where  elec- 
tric light  can  be  used  they  fix  a  switchboard,  on  which 
there  are  alarm  clocks.  This  is  set  during  the  day,  and 
as  soon  as  it  becomes  dusk  the  light  comes  into  action, 
and  immediately  the  whole  shed  is  illuminated;  it  remains 
illuminated  until  eight  o'clock,  when  there  is  just  enough 
light  left  to  show  the  birds  where  the  roosts  are,  and 
ten  minutes  later  another  clock  operates  and  entirely 
puts  out  the  light,  which  is  turned  on  automatically  the 
next  morning  at  5:30.  Thus  the  period  of  work  during 
the  winter  is  extended  to  something  like  sixteen  hours  a 


USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  LIGHT  IN  EUROPEAN  COUNTRIES 


105 


day,  and   the   result   is,  as   stated,   that   there   is  an   enor- 
mously increased  production  of  eggs  in  winter. 

"I  hope  that  some  of  our  colleges  or  other  leading 
places  in  this  country  will  give  that  system  a  test,  because 
if  we  could  transfer  some  hundreds  of  millions  of  our  eggs 
from  the  spring  to  the  winter  it  would  be  better  for  the 
.industry  all  'round.  It  apparently  is  not  a  question  of  in- 
creased numbers,  but  of  transference  and  equalization  of 
production." 

An  Honorable  Member:  "I  "should  like  to  ask,  with 
regard  to  these  experiments  in  artificial  lighting,  whether 
it  has  been  proved  in  the  States  that  by  inducing  these 
birds  to  lay  in  the  winter  to  a  greater  extent,  it  does  in- 
crease the  annual  production  of  the  fowl?" 

Mr.  Brown:  "So  far  as  my  observations  go,  it  does 
not  increase  the  annual  production.  There  does  not  seem 
to  be  any  evidence  in  that  direction;  it  is  mainly  a  ques- 
tion of  transference  from  one  season  to  another." 

Mrs.  Fawkes:  "Perhaps  Mr.  Brown  would  tell  us 
whether  in  America  they  apply  the  light  to  houses  with- 
out glass  in  the  front.  When  I  built  a 
iiouse  for  140  birds  I  was  able  to  put  on 
electric  light,  but  owing  to  the  war  we 
could  not  get  it,  so  I  fitted  the  front  of 
the  house  with  glass,  and  the  result  has 
been  that  our  best  hens  have  laid  twenty- 
5ix  eggs  each  per  month  during  Novem- 
ber, December  and  January,  and  we  find 
the  glass  has  had  the  same  effect  practi- 
cally as  the  electric  light.  Probably  in 
America  the  houses  are  without  glass." 

Mr.  Brown:  "In  America  they  do 
not  use  much  glass  in  the  houses;  most 
of  them  are  open-fronted  houses,  and 
they  use  curtains  and  not  much  glass,  if 
any.  I  was  in  only  one  or  two  places 
where  they  had  glass,  and  it  was  not 
for  that  purpose." 

A  Delegate:  "I  take  it  that  really 
the  reason  this  artificial  light  is  applied, 
and  the  reason  they  secure  a  greater  out- 
put of  eggs,  is  that  the  fowls  have  longer 
hours  and  consume  more  food — that  is, 
during  the  short  winter  days  the  fowls 
do  not  have  much  time  for  this?" 

Mr 


ANOTHER  FOREIGNER 


ticular  experiment  there  was  a  total  of  over  266  eggs  in  the 
two  pens  in  favor  of  the  artificial  light." 

Mr.  Robinson:  "How  did  it  work  out  economically?" 
Captain  Clarke:  "The  eggs  were  laid  at  a  time  when 
the  price  was  high.  With  light  the  balance  was  $1.41  in 
November  and  $12.89  in  December.  Without  light  it  was 
$3.85  in  November  and  $2.52  in  December.  I  have  a  com- 
plete set  of  figures  here,  if  any  person  is  interested." 

.  Mr.  Brown:  "In  that  respect,  one  practical  farmer  in 
New  York  State  told  me:  'I  have  been  a  poultry  keeper 
for  fifteen  years  and  had  never  been  atle  to  show  a  bal- 
ance of  profit  over  my  food  costs  in  the  months  of  No- 
vember, December  and  January' — that  is,  by  his  ordinary 
work.  'But,'  he  said,  'these  last  three  years  in  which  I 
have  used  this  lighting  system  every  one  of  those  three 
months  has  shown  a  handsome  profit  over  the  feed  cost. 
There  is  no  month  in  the  year  now  that  I  cannot  show  a 
profit  over  the  expenditure  for  feed.' " 

Mr.  Prain:  "With  regard  to  the  question  of  elec- 
tricity, we  carried  out  experiments  at  our  place  last  year 
in  electro-culture.  We  obtained  a  small 
generator,  and  were  able  to  get  along 
very  well  as  regards  light  and  to  carry 
out  experiments.  I  would  like  to  rec- 
ommend that  as  a  cheap  source  of  elec- 
trical supply." 

ENGLISH   POULTRYMAN   ADOPTS 
ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING 

In  this  connection  we  are  pleased  to 
present  the  following  extracts  from  a 
letter  of  date,  June  22,  1919,  addressed  to 
editor  of  R.  P.  J.  by  Mr.  John  Hart, 
Proprietor  of  Kenmore  Egg  Farm,  Char- 
ing, Kent,  England: 

"My  calculations  are  based  on  the 
many  articles  published  in  your  valuable 
columns.  At  first  I  doubted,  but  R. 
P.  J.  made  me  go  into  it.  During  the 
war  it  has  been  impossible  to  get  a 
lighting  plant.  MIy  installation  will  be 
a  4  kw.  direct-coupled  set  running  on 
paraffin  and  a  full  battery  to  take  about 


been 


g     systematically 

iduction   from   do: 

ying  contest  held 

_  ,         .        ,  .     New     Zealand,     „.      .„„ 

effect    that    m    the    wmter    months,    when    auspices     of      the     New     Zealand     utility    Durine-  wnrkino-  hr 
^u      u-   J  .  .  .      ^   A   ■,r^      ■       ,  Club,    the    S.     C.    White    Leghorn     shown    -^""^'"s    "n  oriang  nc 

the  birds  went  to  roost  at  4:30— m  those   ^bove  laid  317  eggs  in  trap  nests  in  365    be  hand  controlled 


Brown:        "Some      observations    high   egg  production   from   domestic   fowl 
In  an  egg  laying  contest  hel 
Christchurch,     New     Zealand', 


4:30 


birds,  no  matter  how  you  fed  them,  their  '^'"'secutiTe  days, 
crops  were  empty  at  midnight.  They  then  had  to  go  for 
seven  or  eight  hours  before  further  food  could  be  obtained, 
and  by  continuing  the  hours  of  working  to  8  p.  m.,  and 
putting  artificial  light  on  at  5:30  a.  m.  they  obtained  suf- 
ficient food." 

Mr.  Robinson:  "I  should  like  to  know  whether  Mr. 
Brown  has  had  any  experience  in  America  of  the  use 
of  colored  glass  or  colored  light?" 

Mr.  Brown:     "No." 

Captain  Clarke:  "We  have  had  a  few  experiments  at 
the  Central  Experimental  Station  at  Ottawa  (Canada)  in 
connection  with  artificial  lighting.  The  houses  were  cur- 
tained and  had  glass.  I  have  the  figures  in  front  of  me, 
A  pen  of  twenty  White  iLeghorns,  with  light,  starting  with 
71  eggs  in  November,  in  December  they  gave  311  eggs, 
whereas  a  pen  of  twenty  Leghorns,  without  light,  gave 
15  eggs  in  November  and  123  in  December.     In  this  par- 


Por    ten    to    fifteen    years,    in    England 
Australia,  .  and    New    Zealand    t^ey^^have    25    amps,    more    than    the    full    estimated 
The    light    will   be    turned    on    at 
by    automatic    time    switch, 
hours  the  switches  will 
trap  nests  in  365    be  hand  controlled.     At  8  p.  m.  the  au- 
tomatic time  switch  will  turn  on  a  small 
blue  lamp   and  extinguish  the  200-candlepower  lamp   and 
after  about  twenty  minutes  will  extinguish  the  blue  lamp. 
This  I  find  is  better  than  using  a  dimmer. 

"Mr.  Edward  Brown,  who  endeavored  to  assist  me 
obtain  a  plant  during  the  war,  is  somewhat  doubtful  of  the 
effect  on  the  genetic  power  of  the  hens  during  their  sec- 
ond season  when  used  for  breeding.  Experience  only  can 
solve  that  problem. 

"On  this  farm  we  have  three  testing  houses,  each 
holding  250  birds,  trap-nested  for  four  months.  I  purpose 
cutting  off  the  illumination  from  one  of  the  three  in  order 
to  prove  the  claims  of  the  power  of  light  over  darkness. 
My  manager,  who  will  select  the  750  pullets  from  range  in 
order  to  make  the  next  season's  breeding  pens,  will  not 
be  aware  which  house  I  expect  to  cut  out,  as  this  last 
is  more  for  my  own  use  than  for  others.  The  details  will 
however  be  supplied  you  in  due  course." 


Several  Private  Users  of  "Lights"  in  New  York  State 

ERIE  COUNTY  WOMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  BIRDS-LIGHTS  "SAVED  THE 
DAY"  FOR  HER  FLOCK-REPORT  FROM  FIRST  MAN  TO  USE  LIGHTS  IN  ALLEGHENY 
COUNTY-MANY  HAVE  FOLLOWED  HIS  LEAD-SUCCESS  OF  MAN  IN  ORLEANS  COUNTY- 
THESE  MEN  USED  ORDINARY  LANTERNS  AND  OBTAINED  GOOD  RESULTS,  ST ARTTO  FIN- 
ISH-HOW LANTERNS  WERE  USED-CONCLUSIONS  BASED  ON  SEVERAL  YEARS  EXPERIENCE 


FOLLOWING  are  sample  letters  received  by  Relia- 
ble Poultry  Journal  from  poultrymen  living  in  New- 
York  State  who  have  used  "lights"  successfully  in 
obtaining  largely  increased  egg  production  during  the 
short-day  period  of  the  year,  usually  from  middle  or  late 
fall  to  the  following  early  spring: 

Letter  of  Rosa  A.  Mesner,  Hamburg,  (Erie  County) 
New  York 

Hamburg,  New  York,  Aug.  10,  1919. 
Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal: 

Your  kind  favor  of.  July  29th  came  to  me  and  I  wish 
to  thank  you  for  asking  my  advice  on  the  use  of  artificial 
light  to  increase  egg  production.  I  do  not  try  to  handle 
more  than  one  hundred  laying  hens,  for  the  reason  that  I 
am  crowded  for  room.  Prof.  Rice  is  a  wonder  and  I  wish 
we  had  more  men  like  him  in  the  poultry  industry.  I 
credit  much  of  my  success  to  his  help. 

When  I  joined  the  Cornell  Poultry  Project  in  this 
county  two  years  ago,  I  knew  nothing  about  the  keeping 
of  poultry,  but  acting  on  Mt.  R.  S.  Moseley's  very  kind 
advice,  I  purchased  a  good  strain  of  S.  C.  White  Leghorns 
and  followed  directions  as  to  feeding.  When  November 
caxne  I  got  so  few  eggs  that  it  was  hardly  worth  bother- 
ing with  chickens,  but  the  work  kept  me  outdoors  and  my 
health  began  to  improve,  so  I  weathered  through  the  win- 
ter. 

The  next  fall  Mr.  Moseley  advised  the  use  of  electric 
lights.  I  could  not  get  a  man  to  put  them  in  for  me,  but 
the  next  spring  I  had  the  lights  put  in  for  use  the  coming 
fall.     Now  for  the  excellent  results: 

Prom  October  1st  to  November  1st,  1917,  I  got  63 
eggs;  from  November  1st  to  December  1st,  248  eggs,  doing 
this  without  "lights";  then  I  put  on  the  "lights"  and  dur- 
ing December  I  got  558  eggs;  during  January,  904;  during 
February,  1020;  during  March,  1258;  in  April,  1507;  in  May, 
1398;  in  June,  1143;  in  July,  1153;  in  August,  841;  and  in 
September,  286. 

October  22,  1918 — early  that  year — ^I  put  on  the 
"lights"  and  from  practically  the  same  number  of  birds 
-I  got  689  eggs  in  November,  1149  in  December,  1272  in 
January,  1139  in  February,  1622  in  March,  1279  in  April, 
1385  in  May,  1291  in  June,  and  856  in  July. 

You  can  see  for  yourself,  therefore,  what  the  "lights" 
have  done  for  me  with  my  small  flock  of  one  hundred 
birds.  Let  me  say  one  thing:  1  only  put  my  lights  on  at 
4:30  a.  m.  and  again  in  the  evening  up  to  8:00  p.  m.  For 
this  season  I  have  not  yet  begun  using  them,  but  I  shall 
start  again  October  22nd  of  this  year. 
Respectfully  yours, 

(Signed)  ROSA  A.  MESNER. 
Letter  of  C.  H.  Palmer,  Proprietor,  College  Vievir  Farm, 
Alfred,  New  York 
Alfred,  New  York,  August  19,  1919. 
Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal: 

I  received  your  letter  some  time  ago  and  will  now  en- 


"lights"  December  13,  1917,  being  the  first  man  in  Alle- 
gany County  to  give  the  "lights"  a  fair  trial,  though  two 
others  in  this  neighborhood  tried  them  a  short  time. 

That  year  I  had  two  hundred  S.  C.  White  Leghorn 
pullets,  early-hatched  birds,  from  which  I  hoped  to  get 
a  lot  of  winter  eggs.  They  began  laying  in  November 
(very  few  in  October)  and  during  that  month  got  as  high 
as  forty  eggs  a  day,  but  as  the  days  grew  shorter  they  re- 
duced the  num'ber  of  eggs  until  I  got  only  fifteen  one 
day  and  nineteen  the  next — on  December  Uth  and  12th. 

December  13th  I  put  on  the  lights  and  following  is 
the  record  of  their  egg  production  the  next  twenty-three 
days:  15,  13,  16,  17,  15,  13,  19,  17,  29,  27,  33,  36,  42,  54,  71, 
80,  96,  112,  122,  132,  141,  144,  148. 

Another  hundred  pullets,  later-hatched  birds,  that  were 
laying  no  eggs  at  all,  were  put  "under  lights"  December 
20th  of  that  year  and  following  is  what  they  did:  21st  2 
eggs,  22nd  3  eggs,  23rd  2  eggs,  24th  S  eggs,  25th  3  eggs, 
26th  9  eggs,  27th  7  eggs,  28th  5  eggs,  29th  10  eggs,  30th 
12  eggs,  31st  15  eggs,  Jan.  1st  21  eggs,  Jan.  2nd  27  eggs, 
Jan.  3rd  28  eggs,  Jan.  4th  29  eggs,  Jan.  5th  31  eggs,  etc. 

January  24,  1918,  I  tested  the  use  of  "lights"  on  180 
old  hens.  Here  are  the  results:  Jan.  20th  9  eggs,  Jan. 
21st  IS  eggs,  Jan.  22nd  18  eggs,  Jan.  23rd  15  eggs,  Jan. 
24th  16  eggs,  Jan.  2Sth  17  eggs,  Jan.  26th  23  eggs,  Jan. 
27th  25  eggs,  Jan.  28th  23  eggs,  Jan.  29th  32  eggs,  Jan. 
30th  34  eggs,  Jan.  31st  47  eggs,  Feb.  1st  40  eggs,  Feb.  2nd 
72  eggs,  Feb.  3rd  66  eggs,  Feb.  4th  77  eggs,  Feb.  Sth  85 
eggs. 

At  that  time  two  of  my  neighbors  caught  the  idea, 
and  one  got  two  eggs  from  20O  hens  and  pullets  the  day 
"lights"  were  put  on,  and  on  the  24th  day  he  collected  124 
eggs  from  these  hens  and  pullets.  The  other  neighbor 
got  24  eggs  the  first  day  at  the  time  of  putting  on  the 
"lights",  from  220  hens  and  pullets,  and  on  the  20th  day 
"under  lights"  he  gathered  146  eggs. 

All  five  of  these  tests  were  made  with  oil  lanterns  that 
were  lighted  at  6:00  a.  m.  and  kept  going  until  daylight 
and  were  again  lighted  before  dark  and  kept  going  until 
8:00  p.  m.  The  hens  were  fed  very  sparingly  with  grain 
in  litter  until  6:45  a.  m.,  when  a  warm  moist  mash  was 
fed,  then  they  were  given  all  the  grain  they  would  eat. 
Each  evening  they  were  fed  again  at  7:00  p.  m. 

I  began  this  work  before  Cornell  took  it  up  and  have 
been  very  much  interested  in  Prof.  Rice's  late  tests.  I 
"lighted"  last  winter  668  average-quality  hens  and  pullets. 
Began  using  the  "lights"  October  1st  and  from  this  num- 
ber of  birds  gathered  992  eggs  in  October,  5295  in  No- 
vember, 6986  in  December,  5883  in  January,  4727  in  Feb- 
ruary, 6048  in  March,  3982  in  April,  5333  in  May,  and  7767 
in  June.  A  comparison  of  the  same  months  for  the  years 
1916-1917  when  I  did  not  use  "lights"  will  show  the  differ- 
ence in  number  of  eggs. 

Allowance  of  course  is  to  be  made  in  the  difference 
in  the  number  of  hens.  Those  two  years  the  average  num- 
ber of  hens  was  371  and  here  is  a  report  of  the  actual  num- 
ber of  eggs  gathered:     October  601  eggs,  November  388, 


SEVERAL  PRIVATE  USERS  OF  "LIGHTS"  IN  NEW  YORK  STATE 


December  885,  January  1302,  February  1933,   March  64S6, 
April  8366,  May  8775,  June  7180. 

Here  is  a  comparison  of  the  financial  results: 
1917_One  Year  1918— One  Year 

Without  Lights  With  Lights 

$1.43 Profit  per  hen .-.$3.70 

3.41 Cost   of  feed   per   hen : 4.48 

117 Number   of   eggs   per   hen 152 

These  profits  in  both  cases  credit  the  hen  with  all 
eggs  (less  incubator  eggs)  at  average  prices,  also  fowls 
sold,  fowls  eaten,  and  value  of  manure,  and  charges  her 
in  each  case  with  all  feed,  litter,  etc.,  also  interest  on  in- 
vestment, and  a  labor  charge  of  $1.00  per  hen. 

Now  as  to  conclusions  regarding  the  use  of  "lights": 

First,  it  pays  a  big  profit  to  "light"  all  pullets. 

Second,  it  increases  the  profit  to  "light"  hens. 

Third,  it  increases  the  number  of  eggs  produced. 

Fourth,  it  gives  more  eggs  at  the  season  of  high  prices. 

Fifth,  it  costs  somewhat  more  to  feed  the  layers. 

Sixth,  there  is  more  work  to  care  for  them  "under 
lights." 

Seventh,  it  does  not  increase  the  winter  molt  of  pul- 
lets. 

Eighth,  it  does  make  hens  and  pullets  molt  earlier  in 
summer. 

Ninth,  it  decreases  the  number  of  eggs  per  hen  at  in- 
cubation time,  but  it  increases  fertility  and  hatchability, 
also  "livability"  of  the  chicks. 

Tenth,  it  molted  fifty  per  cent  of  the  flock  at  a  time 
when  market  eggs  were  cheapest. 

Eleventh,  it  divides  the  profits  more  evenly  across 
the  year,  which  is  an  advantage. 

Twelfth,  it  made  the  July  and  August  molters  pay  a 
bigger  profit  than  the  November  and  December  molters. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  I  am  a  convert  to 
"lights"  and  will  begin  October  1st,  1919,  again,  in  the  case 
of  all  of  my  flock.  At  present  in  this  neighborhood  there 
are  fifteen  local  egg  producers  that  are  using  lights  as  a 
result  of  our  success  and  I  can  say  that  last  winter  all 
found  it  profitable. 

Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)    C.    H.   PALMER. 

Letter   of   Lloyd   J.   Blackmore,   Breeder  of   S.   C.   White 
Leghorns,  Akron,  Nevy  York 

Akron,  New  York,  August  25,  1919. 
Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal: 

Yours  of  the  29th  at  hand  and  I  will  say  that  I  have 
used  acetylene  lights  on  ray  fowls  to  very  good  advantage. 
Did  so  the  past  winter  and  here  are  the  percentages  of 
egg  yield  from  about  200  birds  "under  lights."  I  turned 
on  the  lights  October  I5th,  1918. 

Percentages  of  egg  yield:  November,  17  per  cent; 
December,  24  per  cent;  January,  28  per  cent;  February, 
42^  per  cent;  March,  40  per  cent. 

One  hundred  of  these  birds  were  pullets  and  the  rest 
were  yearling  hens.  The  yearlings  began  laying  about 
February  1st. 

I  have  read  the  articles  on  artificial  lights  in  your 
Journal  with  great  interest. 

Yours  truly, 
(Signed)  LLOYD  J.  BLACKMORE. 

Letter  and  Report  of  William  A.  Crandall,  Kendall, 
New  York 

Kendall,  New  York,  August  27,  1919. 
Editor  Reliable  Poultry  Journal: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  July  29th,  relative  to  arti- 
ficial lighting  for  poultry,  I  enclose  a  copy  of  the  Orleans 
County  (New  York)  "Farm  Bureau  News"  (published 
monthly  by  the  Orleans  County  Farm  Bureau  Associa- 
tion) of  date  March  1919,  on  pages  two  and  three  of  which 


you  will  find  an  article  by  me  on  "lights"  which  will  an- 
swer some  of  your  questions. 

The  gas  lantern  first  used  by  us  was  the  "Coleman", 
match  lighting,  two  mantle.  Later  we  used  the  "Air-O-Lite" 
alcohol  generator,  having  one  mantle. 

Lights  with  us  were  gradually  discontinued  January 
1st,  shortening  the  time  five  minutes  a  day.  The  flock  of 
pullets  mentioned  in  the  "Farm  Bureau  News"  compared 
with  my  flock  of  the  winter  before — same  number  of 
birds,  hatched  April  2nd — produced  over  200  per  cent  more 
eggs  during  the  winter  months. 

In  the  use  of  "lights"  I  was  very  careful  to  make  all 
changes  gradually  and  at  no  time  to  force  for  extreme  pro- 
duction, consequently  their  highest  one-day  record  was 
105  eggs,  or  70  per  cent  plus.  This  was  much  lower  than 
some  others  obtained,  but  my  birds  did  not  drop  below 
40  per  cent  production  any  time  during  the  spring  and  I 
know  of  "lighted"  flocks  in  this  vicinity  that  went  as  low 
as  20  per  cent. 

We  expect  to  "light"  again  this  year,  using  gas  lan- 
terns on  400  pullets  and  a  few  August  and  September 
molting  hens. 

Yours  truly, 

(Signed)  WM.  A.  CRANDALL. 
Following  is  the  article  by  Mr.  Crandall,  as  same  was 
published  in  the  March,  1919,  issue  of  the  "Farm  Bureau 
News",  Albion,  New  York: 

Poultry  House  Lighting  Produces  Results  in  Orleans 
County 

By  W.  A.  Crandall,  Kendall. 

Egg  record  of  148  S.  C.  W.  Leghorn  pullets,  Novem- 
ber 1st  to  February  1st. 

Month                                                        No.  Hens  No.  Eggs 

November   148  533 

December    148  2441 

January    148  2734 

Total 5708 

Average  net  price  per  doz.,  69  cents.  Value,  $332.65. 
These  pullets  were  hatched  May  1st,  1918,  and  were 
placed  in  winter  quarters  October  18th.  Previous  to  this 
time  they  had  laid  from  one  to  two  eggs  per  day  for  about 
a  week.  One  hundred  and  fifty-one  pullets  were  raised 
but  three  were  culled  out  when  placed  in  winter  quarters. 
Lighting  was  commenced  November  10th,  about  three 
weeks  after  they  were  shut  up.  On.  this  date  they  laid 
seven  eggs.  We  began  lighting  with  one  300  c.  p.  gasoline 
lantern  for  a  pen  24  feet  by  24  feet,  about  two  weeks 
later  adding  another  300  c.  p.  lantern  as  one  did  not  light 
that  size  space  suitably.  A  decided  improvement  in  egg 
production  and  also  in  appearance  of  birds  was  noted  in 
about  ten  days.  The  flock  increased  production  steadily 
each  day  from  then  on,  reaching  a  production  of  over  90 
eggs  December  18th  and  to  this  date,  February  1st,  have 
averaged  better  than  90  eggs,  or  over  60  per  cent  for  ev- 
ery day  since,  and  at  present  are  averaging  over  95  eggs 
per  day.  It  is  thought  that  had  lighting  been  commenced 
October  18th  instead  of  November  10th  full  production 
would  have  been  reached  by  December  1st  instead  of  De- 
cember 18th. 

Eggs  are  shipped  to  New  York  city  where  white  eggs 
command  a  premium  over  brown  or  mixed.  The  small 
eggs  were  not  sorted  out.  Eggs  sold  from  this  pen  dur- 
ing December  and  January  amounted  to  over  $2.00  per 
bird. 

As  should  be  noted,  it  is  difficult  to  say  how  much 
credit  may  be  given  the  lighting  and  how  much  to  a  mild 
winter,  feeding  and  care,  and  to  a  good  strain  of  layers. 
A  good-laying  strain  is  considered  of  utmost  importance. 
These  pullets  were  reared  from  heavy-egg-strain  cock- 
erels mated  to  a  flock  of  over  200  hens  that  for  weeks  and 
weeks  last-  summer  averaged  to  lay  better  than  65  per 
cent  production.  From  this  flock  have  been  saved  ICW 
late  molters,  all  molting  after  October  1st.  They  were 
selected   by    Prof.   Hurd   of   Cornell   Agricultural   College 


108 


USE   OF  ARTIFICIAL   LIGHT  TO   INCREASE  WINTER  EGG  PRODUCTION 


and  according  to  his  advice  these  breeders  will  within  a 
few  days  have  their  working  day  lengthened  by  lighting. 
It  is  expected  by  the  use  of  lights  to  have  them  laying 
well  before  March  15th,  thus  furnishing  hatching  eggs  in 
sufficient  amount  to  commence  incubating  extensively  by 
that  date.  Eggs  from  the  pullets  will  not  be  used  for 
hatching. 

Of  course  it  is  understood  that  as  far  as  market  eggs 
are  concerned  the  use  of  artificial  lights  is  not  primarily 
to  get  more  eggs  per  hen  per  year  but  to  produce  more 
during  the  winter  months  when  many  flocks  are  not  pay- 
ing their  board,  and  eggs  sell  for  relatively  high  prices. 

Details  of  Time,  Operating  Expenses,  Extra 
Feed,  Etc. 

Lights  are  started  at  dusk  and  continued  until  8:30  p. 
m.  This  hour  was  arrived  at  by  gradually  extending  the 
time  for  about  a  month.  Lights  are  not  used  in  the  morn- 
ing. With  two  lanterns  in  use  during  December  one  quart 
of  gasoline  costing  7c  per  day  was  burned.  For  the  longer 
days  of  January  the  cost  was  6c  per  day.  A  rather  heavy 
item  of  expense  was  for  broken  mantles.     These  cost  for 


the  three-month  period  $2.75.  Extra  work  on  account  of 
using  lights  amounts  to  15  minutes  per  day. 

Extra  feed  consumed  is  in  direct  proportion  to  the 
extra  hours  the  hens  work.  It  appears  that  all  extra 
feed  consumed  is  turned  into  extra  eggs.  However, 
feeding  costs  should  be  figured  on  a  basis  of  pounds  feed 
consumed  per  dozen  eggs  produced.  Geo.  Newell  of  Con- 
gress Park,  Chicago,  III.,  who  claims  to  be  the  originator 
of  the  lighting  idea,  found  that  during  the  year  1913  when 
no  lights  were  used  his  hens  ate  13.39  lbs.  of  feed  per  dozen 
eggs  produced,  and  during  1914  when  lights  were  used  his 
hens  ate  10.92  lbs.  of  feed  per  dozen  eggs,  or  2.47  lbs.  less 
feed  per  dozen  eggs  when  lights  were  used. 

The  night  feed  is  given  at  7  p.  m.  Then  fowls  are  in- 
duced to  go  to  roost  by  removing  the  high  candlepower 
lights  and  dimly  lighting  the  pen  by  hanging  up  a  single 
kerosene  lantern  for  a  few  minutes  while  the  litter  is  be- 
ing forked  over. 

The  gasoline  lantern  is  considered  safer  than  the  or- 
dinary wick-burning  kerosene  lantern. 

General  health  of  the  flock  is  as  good  or  even  better 
than  when  artificial  lights  were  not  used.  Eggs  laid  are 
large  size  for  pullets  and  are  very  hard  shelled. 


Testing  the  Use  of  "Light"  in  State  of  Montana 


REPORTS  FROM  W.  F.  SCHOPPE,  PROFESSOR  OF  POULTRY  HUSBANDRY,  DEPARTMENT 
OF  POULTRY,  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  UNIVERSITY  OF  MONTANA- 
EXPERIMENTS  IN  AN  EARLY  STAGE,  BUT  ARE  SATISFACTORY  AS  REGARDS  PRODUC- 
TION   AND    INCREASED    PROFIT-NO    DOUBT   ABOUT   THE    HATCHABILITY    OF    EGGS 


WRITING  under  date  June  21,  1919,  in  reply  to  a 
request  from  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  for  information 
on  the  subject.  Professor  Schoppe  gave  the  fol- 
lowing information: 

"Your  letter  asking  for  information  on  use  of  artifi- 
cial illumination  to  increase  egg  production,  and  other 
questions  has  been  on  my  desk  for  some  time,  while  I 
have  been  studying  our  records  with  the  purpose  of  giv- 
ing you  some  information. 

"Concerning  the  use  of  artificial  light,  we  started  a 
project  last  October  which  was  to  continue  for  a  year. 
I  can  give  you  a  summary  only  of  the  winter  months. 
The  test  involved  120  Leghorn  hens  of  equal  breeding, 
which  were  carefully  selected.  These  were  housed  in  the 
same  house,  under  identical  conditions,  and  the  birds  in  the 
lighted  and  unlighted  pens  were  fed  the  same  and  given 
the  same  treatment. 

"During  the  winter  months  the  birds  in  the  lighted 
pens  consumed  5277.8  pounds  of  feed,  which  included 
grain,  mash,  milk,  meat  scrap,  green  cut  bone  and  green 
food.  Cost  of  feed  was  $135.77.  Light  consumed,  162  kw., 
cost  $15.75.  They  produced  6554  eggs  valued  at  $343.91, 
leaving  a  profit,  not  including  labor  and  investment,  of 
$192.39. 

"The  birds  in  the  unlighted  pen  consumed  4851.77 
pounds  of  feed  which  cost  $124.78.  They  produced  3805 
eggs  valued  at  $194.49,  leaving  a  profit,  not  including  la- 
bor and  investment,  of  $69.71. 

"This  experiment  was  somewhat  upset  during  the 
month  of  February,  owing  to  the  breaking  of  our  bone 
■cutter.  We  were  unable  to  feed  green  cut  bone  for  that 
month,  and  the  egg  production  in  the  lighted  pens  drop- 
ped from  2014  eggs  to  996  eggs.  At  the  same  time  the 
egg  production  for  the  unlighted  pens  increased  from  1214 
to  1317  eggs. 

"We  are  interested  in  the  result  of  this  artificial 
lighting  on  the  hatching  quality  of  the  eggs.  In  this  con- 
nection permit  me  to  state  that  our  per  cent  of  hatching 
due  to  altitude  and  dry  climatic  conditions  is  a  great  deal 


lower  than  would  nominally  be  expected  under  more  fa- 
vorable conditions.  Therefore,  the  per  cent  of  hatching 
from  these  birds  will  seem  unreasonably  low,  but  I  do  not 
believe  it  could  be  attributed  to  the  effect  of  lighting. 

"During  the  spring  we  set  1033  eggs  from  the  lighted 
pens.  Of  these  91  or  8.8  per  cent  were  sterile.  Six  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three,  or  63.3  per  cent  of  the  eggs  either 
failed  to  hatch  or  produced  crippled  chicks.  We  secured 
289  normal  chicks,  or  28  per  cent. 

"In  the  unlighted  pens  at  the  same  time  we  set  2200 
eggs.  Of  these  389,  or  17.7  per  cent  were  sterile.  One 
thousand  and  forty-three,  or  47.4  per  cent  failed  to  hatch. 
We  secured  768,  or  34.9  per  cent  normal  chicks. 

"Regretting  the  delay  in  answering  your  communica- 
tion, and  also  assuring  you  that  if  we  can  be  of  further 
assistance  will  be  very  glad  to  communicate  with  you  at 
any  time.  "Yours  truly, 

"W.  F.  SCHOPPE." 
Later  Letter  From  Professor  Shoppe 

Writing  again  under  date  of  July  22,  1919,  Professor 
Shoppe  added  the  following  information: 

"Your  communication  of  the  Sth  inst.  received  on  my 
return  from  a  trip  East.  Concerning  the  experiment  with 
artificial  light  and  the  additional  information  desired,  we 
report  the  following: 

"Sixty-watt  Mazda  lamps  were  used  to  light  the  pens, 
using  one  light  to  illuminate  two  pens.  The  pens  were 
each  8x12  feet  divided  in  the  center  by  a  wire  partition. 
The  lamp  was  placed  in  the  ceiling  close  to  the  wire  net- 
ting. This  arrangement  gave  good  distribution  of  light 
in   both   pens. 

"The  lights  were  turned  on  at  6:30  and  ran  until  day- 
light. They  were  turned  on  again  as  soon  as  it  com- 
menced getting  dark  in  the  pens  and  were  kept  on  until 
8:30  at  night,  when  they  were  gradually  turned  off  by 
use  of  a  dimmer. 

"Yours  very  truly, 

"W.  F.  SCHOPPE." 


Report  on  Use  of  "Lights"  by  a  Pennsylvania  Poultryman 

ANOTHER  MAN  WHO  STUMBLED  ONTO  TIIE  USE  OF  LIGHTS  AFTER  HE  REALIZED 
THAT  THE  WINTER  NIGHTS  WERE  TOO  LONG  A  STRETCH  "BETWEEN  MEALS" 
TELLS  OF  HIS  SUCCESS  WITH  WHITE  PLYMOUTH  ROCKS-THEY  TOOK  KINDLY  TO 
THE  LIGHTS  AND  THEIR  OWNER  FOUND  IT  HIGHLY  PROFITABLE,  BOTH  WINTER 
AND  SPRING-HE   ALSO    HAS   PRACTICED   "CULLING"    FOR   SEVERAL    YEARS 


WRITING  editor  of  R.  P.  J.  under  date  of  Octo- 
ber  13,    1919,   J.    N.   Stroup   of   Middleburg,    Pa., 
said,    on    the    subject   of   the    "Use    of   Artificial 
Light  to  Increase  Egg  Production": 

"Now,  a  word  on  'Artificial  Lighting  for  Winter  Egg 
Production.'  Some  years  ago,  before  ever  having  read 
a  word  about  artificial  lighting,  I  owned  a  flock  of  sev- 
eral hundred  well-bred  White  Plymouth  Rock  pullets. 
They  were  of  laying  age  and  their  combs  looked  nice,  but 
they  just  would  not  lay  worth  mentioning.  I  fed  and 
cared  for  them  the  best  way  I  knew  how,  but  to  no  avail. 

"Finally,  in  thinking  the  matter  over,  I  decided  that 
the  nights  were  too  long  and  cold;  that  the  food  they  con- 
sumed during  the  short  days  was  required  to  keep  up 
their  bodies,  leaving  no  surplus  for  eggs.  With  this  idea 
in  mind  I  secured  a  large  lantern  and  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening  I  hung  it  in  the  hen  house  and  gave  them  a 
good  mess  of  scratch  feed  in  deep  litter.  These  birds 
were  given  a  good  feed  before  darlc  in  the  evening  and 
they  then  filled  their  crops,  but  at  nine  o'clock  their  crops 
again  seemed  almost  empty.  The  first  night  very  few 
came  off  the  roost  for  the  nine  o'clock  meal,  but  the  fol- 
lowing nights  more  came  down  until  at  the  end  of  a  week 
every  bird  would  get  down  for  feed.  In  fact,  when  they 
saw  the  light  coming  toward  the  house,  they  would  fly 
down  from  the  roosts  and  by  the  time  I  was  in  the  house 
every  hen  was  down  off  the  roost,  waiting. 

"Given  the  grain  feed,  they  would  scratch  until  the 
house  was  so  dusty  I  could  scarcely  see  the  hens,  often 
spending  an  hour  or  more  scratching 
and  singing,  before  again  retiring. 
Within  two  weeks  the  eggs  began  to 
come  and  it  continued  until  my  egg 
yield  was  the  talk  of  the  community. 
The  grocer  said  I  brought  more  eggs 
during  cold  weather  than  all  his  other 
customers  combined. 

"My  White  Rock  hens  continued 
the  remarkable  yield  until  my  spring 
work  began,  when  I  felt  like  going  to 
bed  in  the  evening  instead  of  feeding 
hens,  so  I  discontinued  the  lantern 
operation  and  within  a  week  the  egg 
yield  had  almost  entirely  ceased.  I 
did  a  little  thinking  and  decided  that 
the  egg  yield  under  the  artificial  light 
plan  was  worth  more  to  me  than  the 
work  I  did  by  getting  out  early  in  th 
morning,  so  I  again  tried  the  old  lan- 
tern on  my  flock  and  to  my  surprise 
I  soon  had  the  birds  back  on  the  job 
— and  I  slept  a  little  later  in  the  morn- 
ing and  was  the  gainer  by  so  doing. 

"Later   on   I   bought   a   good   gas 
lantern    which    I    found    highly    satis- 


factory, but  shall  soon  have  the  laying  house  equipped 
with  electric  lights  with  a  switch  ready  to  hand  in  my 
residence. 

"Have  been  particularly  interested  also  in  'poultry 
culling'  and  I  know  you  are  getting  out  a  book  on  that 
subject.  Have  made  a  practice  of  culling  my  fowls  on  a 
business  basis  for  a  number  of  years,  and  other  parties  in 
this  vicinity  for  whom  I  have  culled  have  been  loud  in 
their  praises  of  this  money-saving  work.  I  culled  120 
birds  for  one  poultry  fancier  and  he  felt  that  he  could  not 
bear  to  market  the  70  birds  I  threw  out,  so  he  decided  to 
give  them  good  care  and  to  trap  nest  them  for  a  year. 
He  did  so,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  he  wrote  me  that 
the  highest  record  made  was  one  hen  of  seventy  eggs, 
while  the  average  was  thirty-three  eggs  per  hen  for  the 
year.  "Yours  very  truly, 

"J.   NEVIN   STROUP." 

Editorial  Note: — The  foregoing  is  an  interesting  illus- 
tration of  how  thoughtful,  practical  poultry  keepers  in  va- 
rious parts  of  the  country  have  not  only  found  the  use 
of  lights  effective  in  producing  better  egg  yields  during 
the  short  days  of  fall  and  early  winter,  but  also  of  how 
they  have  independently  arrived  at  the  same  explanation 
for  the  good  results  secured — namely,  that  the  hens  in 
northern  latitudes  need  a  longer  day  at  that  season  of 
the  year  that  their  digestive  and  egg-making  organs  may 
operate  to  their  full  normal  capacity.  These  numerous, 
widely-scattered,  everyday  experiences  uniformly  con- 
firm the  experiments  made  at  Cornell  and  other  institu- 
tions where  the  method  has  been  subject  to  thorough 
scientific  investigation.  Clearly,  the  pullet  of  right  age, 
in  whatever  part  of  the  country  she  may  be,  is  always 
ready  to  do  her  part  if  the  poultry  keeper  will  only  make 
it  possible  for  her  to  do  so. 


RESULTS  OF  BREEDING  FOR  LARGER  HENS  AND  EGGS 
In  striving  for  greater  egg  production  do  not  overlook  the  importance  of  getting  EGGS 
OF  STANDARD  MARKET  SIZE.  Higli  egg  records  or  heavy  winter  production  are  of  only 
limited  practical  value  if  a  large  proportion  of  the  eggs  are  so  small  that  they  mast  be  sold 
at  a  discount.  The  White  Plymouth  Rock  pullet  illustrated  above  did  not  begin  to  lay  until 
she  was  nearly  eight  months  old,  but  when  ten  months  old  she  weighed  8%  pounds  and  pro- 
duced approximately  178  eggs  in  229  days,  which  weighed  about  29  pounds.  The  six  eggs 
shown  in  the  carton  were  the  last  six  eggs  laid  consecutively  before  her  photograph  was  taken. 
They  weighed  just  16  ounces,  or  2  pounds  to  the  dozen.  This  shows  what  can  be  accomplished 
by  systematic  breeding  for  increased  size. 


Interview  with  Dr.  E.  G.  Waldorf  at  His  Home,  August  6,  1919 

LATEST  SUGGESTIONS  AND  ADVICE  FROM  THIS  PIONEER  IN  THE  USE 
OF  LIGHTS-IMPORTANCE  OF  MODERATE  AND  UNIFORM  TEMPERATURE 
AND  OF  EASILY  DIGESTED  FEEDS  IN  SECURING  MAXIMUM  PRODUC- 
TION-VALUE   OF    COOKED    GRAINS    AND    HOW    TO    PREPARE    THEM 

Rifort  hf  EDITOR  o/R.  P.  J. 


SAID  Dr.  Waldorf  in  substance  near  the  close  of  an 
interview  of  some  length: 
"There  are  three  main  conditions  or  factors  to  be 
considered  in  securing  maximum  egg  production  from  do- 
mestic fowl,  meaning  hens  or  chickens. 

"First,  an  equatorial  day.  By  this  I  mean  twelve  hours 
of  light  as  a  workday,  feeding  day  or  functioning  period, 
and  twelve  hours  of  rest.  From  this  equatorial  day  of 
twelve  hours  of  light  and  an  equal  period  for  rest  on  the 
part  of  the  fowl  the  period  of  daylight,  natural  and  arti- 
ficial, can  be  increased  to  sixteen  hours  of  light  as  com- 
pared with  eight  hours  of  darkness.  Am  not  prepared 
to  say  what  division  will  give  the  maximum  egg  yield. 
It  may  be  that  sixteen  hours  of  light  and  eight  hours  of 
dark  will  do  this.  I  really  would  reach  that  conclusion 
as  a  result  of  my  experiments  twenty-five  to  thirty  years 
ago,  as  previously  reported  in  the  Reliable  Poultry  Jour- 
nal, also  as  reported  at  the  time  in  the  weekly  newspaper 
of  Clyde,  N.  Y. 

"Second,  a  moderate  and  uniform  temperature  in  the 
poultry  house  or  laying  quarters.  This  important  point 
also  was  covered  in  the  article  I  wrote  for  your  Journal 
four  or  five  years  ago  and  was  again  emphasized  in  our 
interview  some  months  ago.  There  are  physiological, rea- 
sons for  this  requirement,  and  poultrymen  who  make  a 
study  of  the  problem  and  wish  to  obtain  full  advantage, 
will  find  that  a  moderate  and  uniform  temperature  is  nec- 
essary for  best  results. 

"Third,  are  easily  digestible  foods  of  the  right  ingre- 
dients, together  with  cooked  (boiled)  grains  and  a  liberal 
supply  of  green  food.  Food  in  this  case,  of  the  definite 
kind,  is  the  material  from  which  the  hen  must  manufac- 
ture the  egg — the  maximum  number  of  eggs  that  we  are 
seeking  to  obtain  in  any  given  length  of  time,  notably 
in  the  fall  and  winter  during  the  short-day  period  of  the 
year  when  these  eggs,  as  a  rule,  are  scarce  and,  therefore, 
bring  top  prices  for  human  consumption.  A  statement  like 
this  should  not  need  or  require  elaboration — it  is  too  self- 
evident.     I  gave  a  good  deal   of  study  to  this  matter  of 


balanced  rations  and  the  preparation  of  poultry  foods, 
so  that  my  layers  could  make  the  best  use  of  what  they 
ate,  including  a  constant  supply  of  tepid  water,  and  I  at- 
tribute to  this  fact,  along  with  the  longer  workday,  the 
remarkable  results  obtained." 

Next  Dr.  Waldorf  told  of  his  efforts  to  secure  copies 
of  the  "Clyde  Weekly  Times"  of  Clyde,  N.  Y.,  published 
back  in  1893  or  1894,  in  which  the  editor  reported  on  the 
"light  experiments",  as  carried  on  by  Dr.  Waldorf  in 
1889,  1890,  1891,  1892,  and  1893  at  his  home  in  Buffalo,  496 
Porter  Ave.,  where  Dr.  Waldorf  still  resides  and  where 
this  interview  took  place.  Dr.  Waldorf  built  this  home  in 
1884  and  has  lived  there  ever  since.  He  gives  the  names 
of  several  neighbors  who  knew  about  his  poultry  experi- 
ments, several  of  whom  still  live  there.  He  also  stated 
that  he  had  recently  visited  the  offices  of  the  Buffalo  Gas 
Company  and  found  that  their  records  showed  that  gas 
manufactured  and  supplied  by  them  had  been  piped  to  his 
"chicken  shed"  in  1891. 

"Previous  to  this  for  two  or  three  years  I  had  used 
lanterns — kerosene  lanterns — but  they  were  not  as  good  as 
the  gas  argand  burners.  There,  of  course,  were  no  electric 
lights  in  those  days." 

Continuing  his  discussion  of  proper  feeding  for  egg 
production.  Dr.  Waldorf  said  in  substance: 

"Yes,  I  cooked  the  grain,  that  is  boiled  it  well — the 
oats,  wheat,  etc.  These  grains,  all  of  good  quality,  were 
put  in  boiling  water  at  4:00  p.  m.  the  day  before  they  were 
to  be  used  and  were  kept  simmering  until  fed  the  next  day 
as  part  of  a  crumbly  dry  mash,  not  wet  or  too  moist. 
Sometime  when  I  have  the  leisure,  I  will  be  glad  to  write 
an  article  or  open  letter  for  R.  P.  J.  or  one  of  your  numer- 
ous poultry  books  on  the  subject  of  what  to  feed,  how  to 
cook,  also  how  to  feed  the  kind  of  nutritive  materials  that 
will  be  easiest  for  the  hen  to  handle,  and  that  will  result 
in  eggs  of  right  specific  gravity  to  hatch  chicks  that  will 
get  out  of  the  shell  on  tinie,  that  will  live  when  given  a 
reasonable  chance,  and  that  will  grow  rapidly  to  maturity 
under  proper  management." 


Artificial  Lighting  as  a  Means  of  Increasing  Egg  Prodnction 

REPORT  OF  FIRST  EXPERIMENTS  MADE  IN  THE  USE  OF  LIGHTS  ON  BROAD  ACRES 
POULTRY  FARM,  WEST  CHESHIRE,  CONN. -EXPERIMENTS  WERE  LIMITED,  YET  PROF. 
JONES  ENDORSES  LIGHTING  AND  PRONOUNCES  IT  "REALLY  A  PART  OF  THE  FEED- 
ING   PROBLEM"-GOOD    AVERAGE    PRODUCTION    OF    HENS    AND    PULLETS 


Bv    ROY  E.   JONES.    Poultry  In 


.  Co«n 


Agricultural  College,  Star. 


PRACTICALLY  every  up-to-date  poultryman  who  has 
not  tried  artificial  lights  as  a  means  of  increasing 
egg  production  is  wondering  whether  it  will  not  pay 
him  to  install  some  kind  of  a  lighting  system.  Re- 
sults from  artificial  lighting  have  invariably  been  very  sat- 
isfactory for  the  time  and  often  beyond  the  wildest  dreams. 
The  annual  egg  production  has,  however,  remained  about 
the  same,  so  it  seems,  while  in  same  cases  it  has  decreased. 
Transferring  egg  production  from  the  season  of  low  prices 
in  the  spring  to  the  season  of  high  prices  in  the  fall  and 
winter  has  usually  been  the  cause  of  greater  cash  returns 
rather  than  increased  production.  The  old  saying,  "You 
cannot  eat  your  cake  and  have  it  too"  usually  holds  good 
but  there  sometimes  are  exceptions. 

Figures  on  egg  production  obtained  from  Broad  Acres 


Farm  of  West  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  indicate  that  it  may 
be  possible  to  nibble  the  cake  a  little  and  still  have  it. 
In  other  words,  artificial  lights  moderately  used  may  be 
a  means  of  increasing  tgg  production  during  the  season  of 
highest  prices  and  still  not  reduce  production  during  the 
remainder  of  the  year.  Egg  production  depends  primarily 
on  the  amount  of  surplus  nourishment  in  the  hen's  body 
over  and  above  that  required  for  maintenance.  When 
lights  are  used  simply  as  a  means  of  allowing  the  hens  to 
eat  a  normal  amount  of  food  and  make  a  reasonable  pro- 
duction during  the  shortest  days  rather  than  forcing  for 
abnormal  production,  the  remainder  of  the  year's  produc- 
tion is  not  interrupted. 

At  Broad  Acres  Farm  the  stock  is  all  White  Leghorns. 
The  pullets  were  hatched  the  latter  part  of  April  and  May 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  AS  A  MEANS  OF  INCREASING  EGG  PRODUCTION 


111 


and  grown  on  a  range  where  shade  and  green  food  were 
abundant.  A  few  eggs  were  picked  up  on  the  range  dur- 
ing September  and  October,  but  the  pullets  were  not  put 
in  winter  quarters  until  November  1,  1918.  The  pullets 
were  divided  into  two  flocks  of  225  each,  there  being  about 
three  to  four  weeks  difference  in  comparative  maturity. 
The  first  normal'  wave  of  production  from  the  most  ma- 
ture pen  with  ordinary  care  and  management  lasted  about 
six  weeks.  It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  December  that 
the  lights  were  used,  at  which  time  a  few  scattering  feath- 
ers were  seen  in  the  pen,  indicating  that  some  of  the  ear- 
liest laying  pullets  were  getting  short  of  food  and  threat- 
ening a  partial  molt.  The  lights  used  were  three-hundred 
c.  p.  gasoline  lanterns.  The  time  of  lighting  was  from  5 
a.  m.  until  daylight,  no  lights  being  used  at  night. 

The  application  of  lights  in  moderate  amounts  at  this 
time  did  not  give  an  increase  in  production,  but  rather 
held  production  over  a  period  when  there  would  have 
been  a  drop  had  the  lights  not  been  used.  The  fall  molt 
was  checked  however,  and  there  was  no  further  evidence 
of  shedding  feathers. 

The  second  lot  of  pullets,  maturing  a  little  later,  was 
treated  the  same  way,  the  lights  being  used  when  the  first 
e\  idence  of  molt  indicated  that  they  were  necessary.  There 
was  also  on  the  plant  a  pen  of  228  yearling  hens.  The 
hens  were  the  best,  selected  from  a  flock  of  650  which  av- 
eraged 167  eggs  per  hen  during  the  previous  year.  They 
were  all  laying  November  first  and  less  than  ten  per  cent 
showed  any  signs  of  molt.  Their  production  necessarily 
dropped  low  in  December  and  January  during  the  molt, 
but  increased  at  once  when  a  slight  amount  of  light  was 
applied  in  January,  after  a  reasonable  amount  of  time  had 
been  allowed  for  rest.  All  lights  with  both  hens  and  pul- 
lets were  discontinued  after  the  middle  of  March. 

A  careful  study  of  the  egg  record  shows  several  facts 
worthy   of  consideration. 

1.  While  good  egg  production  was  obtained  during 
the  fall  and  winter,  it  was  not  phenomenal  or  startling. 

2.  That  artificial  lights  may  be  used  as  a  means  of 
stopping  a  fall  or  winter  molt,  or  for  hurrying  late-molt- 
ing breeding  stock  into  laying  for  early  hatching. 


3.  Where  a  minimum  amount  of  artificial  light  is 
used  simply  as  a  means  of  keeping  the  hens  in  good  phy- 
sical condition,  a  fairly  even  lay  and  a  high  average  egg 
production  can  be  obtained. 

The  object  of  this  article  is  to  show  that  light  may 
be  used  in  a  limited  way  without  affecting  production 
later  in  the  season,  and  that  lighting  is  really  a  part  of  the 
feeding  problem  and  should  be  treated  as  such  in  order 
to  avoid  overstimulation;  that  after  all,  egg  production  per 
hen  per  year  or  total  egg  sales  per  hen  per  year,  is  the  ob- 
jective rather  than  massed  production  during  a  short  sea- 
son of  highest  prices.  Just  how  much  light  may  be  used 
and  not  affect  later  production  is  still  an  open  question, 
but  the  beginner  had  better  err  on  the  side  of  too  little 
•  artificial  light  rather  than  too  much. 

Record  of  Production 
228  Yearling  Hens  450  Pullets 

Av.  eggs       Total  Av.  eggs        Total 

per  hen  eggs  per  hen  eggs 

per  month     to  date  per  month     to  date 

Nov 7.8  7.8  5.8  5.8 

Dec 2.0  9.8  11.9  17.7 

Jan 2.2  12.0  12.8  30.5 

Feb 12.5  24.5.  14.4  44.9 

Mar 20.0  44.5  19.3  64.2 

Apr 20.2  64.7  19.0  83.2 

May    '. 19.5  84.2  20.0  103.2 

June    17.3  101.5  17.5  •  120.7 

July  16.4  117.9  16.6  137.3 

Aug 17.4  135.3  "  17.4  154.7 

Sept.  ..: 15.6  150.9  14.3  t69.0 

Oct not    completed  (163.0)  (180.0) 

Figures  are  kept  on  the  basis  of  eggs  per  hen  per 
month  rather  than  per  cent  production— first,  because  it 
is  easy  to  figure  even  with  a  changing  number  of  hens  in" 
the  flock  and,  second,  because  it  allows  keeping  a  record 
of  the  average  egg  production  per  hen  to  date,  which  is 
a  most  valuable  record  at  any  time  of  year  for  judging  the 
worth  of  a  hen.  The  production  for  October  is  not  com- 
pleted, but  will  not  vary  more  than  one  or  two  eggs  from 
the  above  totals. 

Storrs,  Conn.,  Oct.  20,  1919. 


Report  of  Lighting  Tests  at  Ontario  Agricultural  College 

HEREWITH  ARE  GIVEN  RESULTS  OF  A  ONE-YEAR  EXPERIMENT  IN  THE  USE  OF  LIGHTS- 
SEVERAL  PENS  OF  PULLETS  AND  HENS  WERE  EMPLOYED  IN  THE  TESTS-AS  TABLE  SHOWS, 
LIGHTS  DID  NOT  ALWAYS  RESULT  IN  INCREASING  TOTAL  EGG  YIELD,  BUT  IN  EVERY 
CASE  GAVE  GREATLY  INCREASED  PRODUCTION  DURING  THE  FALL  AND  WINTER  MONTHS 


♦X>ABLE  presented  herewith  gives  the  results  of  a  one- 
■■■  year  experiment  conducted  by  Prof.  W.  R.  Graham, 
head  of  the  Poultry  Department  at  Ontario  Agricultural 
College,  Guelph,  Canada,  which  experiment  was  concluded 
Octo:ber,  1919.  Sixteen  pens,-  each  consisting  of  twenty- 
five  pullets,  or  an  equal  number  of  hens,  were  employed 
in  these  tests.  As  is  clearly  shown  by  the  table,  lights 
gave  excellent  results  in  fall  and  winter  production  in  ev- 
€ry  case. 

The  pens  of  White  Leghorn  pullets  were  the  only 
lighted  pens  continued  throughout  the  summer  that  did 
not   give   a   better   average   for   the   year   than   the   check 


pens  without  lights.  In  each  case,  however, -the  lighted 
pens  maintained  their  lead  throughout  the  high-price 
months.  During  the  low-price  season  (March  to  May) 
the  unlighted  pens  were  ahead,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
Leghorn  pullets  these  pens  maintained  their  lead  through 
the  remainder  of  the  test.  The  lighted  pens  of  Leghorn 
hens  and  Barred  Rock  pullets,  however,  again  took  the 
lead  in  June  or  July  when  prices  were  on  the  up-grade. 
Prof.  Graham  has  not  furnished  figures  showing  the  exact 
increase  in  value  of  eggs  secured  as  a  result  of  the  use 
of  lights,  but  it  is  plain  that  the  product  of  the  lighted 
pens  must  have  had  a  much  higher  market  value  for  the 
year  than  that  of  the  check  pens  without  light. 


TABLE  SHOWING  RESULT  OF  EXPEEEVIENTS  IN  USE  OF  LIGHTS  AT  ONTAEIO  AGEICULTUEAL  COLLEGE 

July    Aug.  Sept.    Oct.    Total  Average 

774      357      335      175      6905        138 

313      312      7884        157.7 


?0  yearling  White  Leghorn  hens — lights 413     460     42 

SO  yearling  White  Leghorn  hens — no  lights 284      170 

50  May  hatched  Barred  Rock   pullets — lights..  "   ~ 

50  -May  hatched  Barred  Eock  pullets — ^no  light: 
SO  yearling  Barred  Rock 


573      963      615 


858      589 


131      548      532     415   1009      851 

.324      543      735      445      415      518      331 


arling  Barred  Rock   hens — no  lights 247      294      449      211      313      764      500      547 


I  Pens  broken  up  May  31 


INDEX 


Historical  Introduction  4 

Colored  Charts  Illustrating  Results  of  Experiments  in 

Artificial  Illumination  at  Cornell  University  Dr.  and  Mrs.  0.  B.  Kent 6-7-10-11-1:; 

Natural — Use  of  "Lights"  Not  a  "Forcing"  Process Editor S 

Practical — Artificial    Illumination    a   Practical   Method 

for  Poultry  Keepers Editor   12 

Description  of  the  Cornell  Colored  Charts Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice  14 

Forcing  Egg  Yield  by  Use  of  Artificial  Light W.  H.  Reynolds 17 

Ten  Eggs  Per  Week  Per  Hen  and  How  It  Was  Done E.  C.  Waldorf,  M.  D 19 

Successful  Use  of  Lighting  in  Back-yard  Plant Warren    V.    Clarke    21 

"Lighting  System"  for  Increasing  Egg  Production J.  B.  Roe  and  E.  C.  Waldorf,  M.  D 25 

More  Evidence  of  Egg-Yield  Value  of  Lighting  System M.  E.  Atkinson  and  E.  E.  Emerson....27 

Influence  of  "Illumination"  on  Production  of  Winter  Eggs.. ..Pro/'.  Jas.  E.  Rice 29 

Discovery  of  "Lighting  System"  in  the  Northwest Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Shoup 31 

Practical  Advice  for  Use  of  "Lighting  System" Warren  V.  Clarke  32 

Use  of  Artificial  Lighting  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Yield — I     ..Prof.  Luther  Banta 33 

Use  of  Artificial  Lighting  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Yield — II   ..Prof.  Luther  Banta 36 

Use  of  Artificial  Lighting  to  Increase  Winter  Egg  Yield — III  ..Prof.  Luther  Banta 39 

Influence    of    Length    of   Day    on    the    Production    of 

Winter  Eggs  Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice 42 

Making  Artificial  Daylight  For  the  Layers  in  Winter Geo.  R.  Shoup 46 

Artificial  Lighting  of  Pacific  Coast  Poultry  Houses Mrs.  Jean  A.  Patterson  and 

Harry  Beernink  5ft 

Early  "Lighting  System"  Tests  in  Eastern  Territory  on 

Commercial  Basis  Report  by  Editor 53 

"Works  the  Hens  Day  and  Night" J.  P.  Jordan 5& 

More  "Lighting"  Facts  From  Sunny  Crest  Farm Report  by  Editor 6ft 

Late  Interview  With  Dr.  Waldorf  on  Artificial  Lighting Report  by  Editor 64 

Successful  Use  of  "Lights"  on  Commercial  Poultry  Plant R.  T.  Argood 67 

Private  Users  of  "Lights"  in  Pacific  Northwest D.  P.  Rager,  Mrs.  T.  H.  Ridley, 

and  A.  E.  Hammond 6S 

Early  Use  of  "Lighting  System"  in  Michigan Prof.  J.  G.  Halpin  7ft 

Results  of  the  Use  of  "Lighting  System"  in  New  Jersey Report  by  Editor 71 

Further  Facts  About  Use  of  "Lighting  System"  in  New 

Jersey Report  by  Editor 75 

General  Lecture  on  Great  Benefit  of  Use  of  Artificial 

Lights    ...Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice  78 

Influence  of  "Illumination"  on  Egg  Production  "Characters"..Pro/'.  Jas.  E.  Rice  85 

Tables  and  Data  on  Which  Eight  of  Colored  Charts  are 

Based  Prof.  Jas.  E.  Rice 89 

How  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoup  Discovered  the  Benefit  of  "Lights"..Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Shoup .91 

Comparison  of  Methods  of  Managing  Pullets  for  Egg  Yields.. ..Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Shoup 92 

Essentials  for  Getting  Fall  and  Winter  Eggs Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Shoup 96 

Maintenance  of  Egg  Production  During  Winter Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Shoup 9& 

Successful  Use  of  Artificial  Light  in  California Prof.  J.  E.  Dougherty  and 

W.  T.  Hadley  100 

Reports  on  Tests  of  the  "Lighting  System"  in  Canada F.  C.  Elford  102 

Use  of  Artificial  Light  in  European  Countries Edward  Brown,  F.  L.  S 104 

Several  Private  Users  of  "Lights"  in  New  York  State Rosa  A.  Mesner,  C.  H.  Palmer,  Lloyd 

J.  Blackmore,  Wm.  A.  Crandall....lQ(> 

Testing  the  Use  of  "Light"  in  State  of  Montana Prof.  W.  F.  Schoppe 108 

Report  on  Use  of  "Lights"  by  a  Pennsylvania  Poultryman....J.  Kevin  Stroup  109 

Interview  With  Dr.  E.  C.  Waldorf  at  His  Home Report  by  Editor lift 

Artificial  Lighting  As  a  Means  of  Increasing  Egg  Production. .Pro/.  Roy  E.  Jones 110 

Report  of  Lighting  Tests  at  Ontario  Agricultural  College Prof  W.  R.  Graham Ill 


